News
Big opposition gains
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party saw its ironclad grip on the National Assembly weaken dramatically, dropping 22 seats in winning 68 of 123, with the opposition the beneficiary and the CPP’s royalist coalition partners winning none at all in an election rife with alleged irregularities. Though ...
Shops to close, limit hours
Many restaurants, shops, supermarkets and tourist sites in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap will operate at a limited capacity or close entirely this Sunday as Cambodians line up at voting stations to elect a new government. Despite the closures, Ang Kim Eang, president of the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/shops-close-limit-hours
Cambodia election will not have influence on tourism
Tourism is one of the major sectors supporting the Cambodian economy. Last year, the country attracted 3.58 million foreign tourists, generating 2.2 billion US dollars in revenues. The Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said Tuesday that the July 28 national elections in Cambodia would not ...
http://www.eturbonews.com/36396/cambodia-election-will-not-have-influence-tourism
Cambodian opposition chief arrives home after 4 years in exile
Cambodia’s charismatic opposition leader Sam Rainsy arrived in his home country on Friday morning after spending nearly four years abroad in self-imposed exile to avoid an 11-year prison sentence on charges of disinformation and destruction of public property. Hun Sen said his request to the ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-07/19/c_132555198.htm
Trading Floor Silent Two Years After CSX Launch
It is almost two years to the day since Cambodia’s stock market launched in Phnom Penh in front of proud government officials, senior financiers and eager investors from across the region. Initial expectations were that a total of three state-owned firms would be listed within six ...
Hul Reaksmey and Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/trading-floor-silent-two-years-after-csx-launch-35211/
Mystery Surrounds Ratanakkiri’s First Special Economic Zone
Construction of a special economic zone (SEZ) near the Vietnamese border in Ratanakkiri province’s eastern O’Yadaw district is on track, but who exactly will avail of the facility and its services remains a mystery—even for senior provincial officials. The latest announced venture of agro-industry land concession ...
Despite Land Loss, Minorities Back Status Quo
Romam Gvin could be described as a counterintuitive voter. Intuition might lead you to believe that Mr. Gvin blames the government for the loss of his land to the Vietnamese rubber company that now owns everything for as far as the eye can see here in ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/despite-land-loss-minorities-back-status-quo-34786/
Hun Sen Signs Off on Royal Pardon for Sam Rainsy
Prime Minister Hun Sen has signed off on a Royal Pardon, which would allow for opposition leader Sam Rainsy to return to Cambodia ahead of the national election on July 28, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said. Mr. Rainsy has been in self-imposed exile ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sen-signs-off-on-royal-pardon-for-sam-rainsy-34675/
Congressional Hearing in US Pushes Cut to Cambodian Aid
At a congressional hearing in Washington on Tuesday that scathingly rebuked Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling CPP, a U.S. lawmaker called for legislation to cut American aid to Cambodia following the national election on July 28. Representative Steve Chabot, who chaired the House Subcommittee ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/congressional-hearing-in-us-pushes-cut-to-cambodian-aid-34389/
Cash for Siem Reap Market Repair to Come From National Budget
A $300,000 sum to repair Siem Reap City’s fire-ravaged Doeum Kralanh market, originally billed on Monday as a donation from Prime Minister Hun Sen, will actually be taken from the national budget, according to a senior ruling-party official. Less than three weeks before the July 28 ...
Cambodia marks Forest Day
Cambodia observed the Forest Day on Tuesday, urging people to plant trees in order to ensure the sustainability of forest and environment. The celebration was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni and attended by Prime Minister Hun Sen and senior officials of the government, the parliament, ...
http://www.asean-china-center.org/english/2013-07/09/c_132525872.htm
Kirilo Hydro station goes online
The Kirilo No.3 Hydro-power Station, located in the KOH Kong Province of Cambodia, was recently put into operation. The ribbon cutting ceremony of the Project was held on February 23, 2013 in the power station area. The Project was investigated and designed by HYDROCHINA Mid-South ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=YmJiM2Y0ZTAwZWQ
U.S. seeks to cut aid to Cambodia
Lawmakers in the U.S. and human rights activists are pushing for cuts of more than $70 million in aid to Cambodia if Prime Minister Hun Sen wins the July 28 elections. Many factors have pushed the U.S. to this point be it unfair and unjust, such ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=15&token=YTQ1OTEyZDAxMTd
Cambodia's garment exports up 22 pct in 5 months
Cambodia’s garment industry, the country’s biggest income earner, recorded 2.06 billion U.S. dollars in export value in the first five months of this year, up 22 percent on the same period last year, a Commerce Ministry’s report showed Tuesday. Garment export accounts for more than 80 ...
http://www.asean-china-center.org/english/2013-06/27/c_132492345.htm
Hun Sen Mocks Opposition Request for Donors to Freeze Aid
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday rebuked the opposition for urging foreign donors to refrain from signing any new agreements with the government until after the election and boasted of a new $26 million handed over last week by the European Union (E.U.) E.U. Ambassador ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sen-mocks-opposition-request-for-donors-to-freeze-aid-31547/
Opposition Asks Donors to Stop Work With Government
Lawmakers from the opposition SRP and Human Rights Party who were expelled from Parliament earlier this month have called on the foreign diplomatic corps and international donors to stop signing agreements and conducting other business with the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. In a letter ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/opposition-asks-donors-to-stop-work-with-government-31421/
Cambodia PM says garment firms may quit over wage rows
Cambodia’s strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday warned garment workers that protests demanding higher wages could push manufacturers to quit the country. His appeal came after unions last week said hundreds of workers had been fired from a factory making sportswear for US giant Nike ...
Australian Police Say Appropriate Steps Taken in BHP Bribery Case
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said Monday they have taken the necessary steps to investigate claims that the world’s largest mining company, BHP Billiton, bribed officials in Cambodia and played down reports that it had mishandled one the country’s largest cases in corporate corruption. “The ...
Cambodia to receive 4.5 million tourists by 2015
Cambodia expects to welcome 4.5 million tourists by 2015, increasing from 3.5 million in 2012, thanks to its cultural properties, Prime Minister Hun Sen said. “Undoubtedly, heritage and cultural tourism are playing a substantial part in this growth. Twenty years ago, when Angkor was inscribed on ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=MDI0MmQ3MGJlNmR
BHP bribery scandal not thoroughly investigated
Reports have today emerged criminal allegations that BHP Billiton employees bribed officials in Cambodia and China were not thoroughly investigated by the Australian Federal Police, with the matter instead being passed over to corporate regulator ASIC, which also ran no in-depth investigation. The documents released ...
http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/bhp-bribery-scandal-not-thoroughly-investigated
Jail Sentence for Anti-Eviction Activist Upheld
The Court of Appeal on Friday upheld the guilty verdict for anti-eviction activist Yorm Bopha, but reduced her sentence from three-to two-years imprisonment, of which one year was suspended. The ruling means that Ms. Bopha will not be released until late 2014. Supporters and human rights groups ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/jail-sentence-for-anti-eviction-activist-upheld-31073/
Cambodia, China's Guangxi pledge to broaden cooperation
Cambodia and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday vowed to further enhance cooperation in trade, investment, and tourism for mutual benefits. The commitment was made during a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Peng Qinghua, secretary of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s CPC Committee, ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/13/c_132453081.htm
Call for Oversight of Cambodian Land Campaign
A land titling campaign in Cambodia launched and financed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s lacks transparency and could leave thousands of people landless, a human rights group said Wednesday, urging the country’s donors to push for reform of the program. The campaign, which employs volunteer youth ...
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/land-06122013150317.html
Task of Obtaining Passport Is Adding To Illegal Migration Problem
Thousands of Cambodians cross the border via illegal checkpoints into Thailand every year. Some end up working in slave-like conditions on illegal fishing trawlers. Others work in factories while getting paid under the table. It is often a last resort fraught with danger and uncertainty and ...