News

Less than five months from the national elections, Prime Minister Huns Sen yesterday warned the public that his ruling CPP party would stop making charitable donations towards infrastructure and national development if the party is not re-elected. Speaking at the inauguration of a Chinese-funded expansion of ...

Reporting that the country had achieved better than expected economic growth last year, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday targeted a rapid expansion of the country’s rubber industry and predicted that almost 1 in 10 Cambodians would soon be working in rubber. “Agriculture continues to play ...

The government has promised to monitor the progress of local conglomerate Royal Group in its implementation of a $781 million dam project in Stung Treng province, that has been guaranteed by the government, CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said yesterday. Mr. Yeap said yesterday that the ...

Government action is needed if Cambodia is to reach its potential for economic growth and address growing inequality, according to a new report from a leading local think tank. The recommendations were included in the Cambodian Development Resource Institute’s (CDRI) annual development review 2012 to ’13. ...

Cambodia is considered “the most promising country” in the ASEAN community where Thai business entrepreneurs could set up trade and investment projects, according to a noted Thai academic and economist. Roongrote Benjamasuthin, director of the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce’s ASEAN Business & Economic Center, ...

A delegation comprised of Japan’s top business leaders, known as Keidanren, began a six-day trip to Myanmar and Cambodia Monday, seeking new business and investment opportunities there. Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, is leading the delegation and said he hopes that meetings with ...

The amount of money spent on construction in Cambodia soared by 72 per cent in 2012 compared to 2011, according to data from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. The ministry said it had issued 1,694 construction patents covering 6.5 million square metres ...

The government has approved more than $4 billion of investment in the public sector over the next three years in a bid to stimulate economic growth, the council of ministers said in a statement obtained yesterday. “The rolling plan will focus om four main sectors” ...

THE [sic] Ministry of Tourism plans to organize an annual River Festival along the Mekong and Tonle Sap in a move to attract tourists, officials said. Additionally, it wants to raise awareness for environmental protection with a “Clean City Day” on February 27. The Minister of ...

Against the backdrop of the slight recovery by world economies, especially the US and Europe, two traditional markets for Cambodia, Asian Development Bank (ADB) deputy country director Peter Brimble sat down with the Post’s group business editor, May Kunmakara, to talk about Cambodia’s economic performance, ...

A new decree that increases the minimum wage of workers in Vietnam will not necessarily lead to companies relocating to Cambodia, according to officials. “The Vietnam government has issued [a] decree, which takes effect from January 1, to adjust the minimum wages paid to workers by ...

When Sok Kheurn travels to the city of Siem Reap, some 32 kilometers from her home in Banteay Srei district, Siem Reap Province, the 58-year-old woman is always astounded by the differences she  sees. While in her village, everyone gets water from wells and light at ...

Cambodia is the one of the least competitive countries in the region, hampered by corruption, a poorly educated workforce and inefficient government, according to a recent study. The annual Global Competitive Index, conducted by the World Economic Forum, showed a large uptick in reported corruption for ...

Phnom Penh, which currently has six satellite cities under development, may be jumping the gun in terms of the demand for them, according to a new report from global real estate firm CBRE. In its latest MarketView report, CBRE says bluntly that currently “demand for satellite ...

The seventh investment–trade–tourism promotion conference for the Cambodia–Laos–Vietnam development triangle took place in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on December 5. The event attracted the participation of representatives from over 400 domestic and foreign businesses. Vietnam is investing in 50 projects worth close to ...

Opposition party whip Son Chhay reiterated his call at a press conference yesterday for the government to raise taxes on economic land concessions from $5 to $7 a hectare up to $70 through an amendment to the draft of the 2013 budget. The Sam Rainsy Party ...

The massive and highly controversial Lower Sesan 2 Dam project took a major step forward yesterday with the inking of government power purchase agreements and an investment deal between Royal Group and a Chinese company. But details about the contracts, their implementation or the fate of ...

Cambodia planned to allocate 3. 1 billion U.S. dollars, in equivalent to 19.8 percent of the country’s GDP, for national expenses in 2013, a 12.9 percent rise year-on-year, finance minister Keat Chhon said Friday. Speaking to reporters after a meeting at the National Assembly, the minister ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is marking 20 years of operations in Cambodia with the release of a book today celebrating its achievements in the Kingdom. The 67-member ADB says that over 20 years it has given Cambodia $1.8 billion in loans, grants and technical assistance. ...

The Bank of China launched the first dual currency international bank card yesterday, part of a move to expand in the local market by offering both US dollar and Renminbi accounts on a single card. People can get the card for a deposit of US$10 at ...

A NEW report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says GDP growth in Cambodia over the next five years is likely to hit 6.9 per cent, the highest of any ASEAN country apart from Laos. However, the report warns that Cambodia needs to ...

THE ten-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is used to fending off “interference” by the West in the internal affairs of some of its members. In recent years the human-rights record of the regime in Myanmar has been the tenderest of these sore spots. ...

A Dak Lak province business forum late last week discussed measures to further promote investment in the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle. About 300 delegates and guests from the three countries attended the forum, organised by the Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), in partnership with Vietnam’s ...

Kratie province – Cambodia’s transformation from war-torn basket-case to one of Asia’s most promising emerging economies is being overshadowed by a backwards lurch in human rights and land policies that critics say are entrenching poverty. Next week’s visit by Barack Obama, the fist by a U.S. ...