The Phnom Penh Post
Outbound travel up by 20% in 2016
Cambodians spent about $600 million abroad last year, state media reported on February 27, while official figures showed a 20 percent annual increase in outbound tourism. Tourism Minister Thong Khon estimated that Cambodians travelling abroad spent $600 million in 2016, state news agency AKP said, ...
Battambang on course for growth
Battambang, the city at the epicentre of Cambodia’s agricultural heartland, has long struggled to reward its farmers with profits and compete in global markets. However, new logistics and economic development projects are driving a positive transformation that could see the city develop into a regional ...
Role of fisheries emphasised
A spate of reports by WorldFish, an international organisation that researches how fisheries can help reduce poverty and hunger, illustrates how the fishing industry supports the economic survival of many of the Kingdom’s inhabitants. The reports give an inside look at the role fisheries play ...
Gov’t gets heat for ivory decision
Cambodia, home to a number of large ivory busts in recent years, has rejected calls to destroy its stockpiles – the preferred method internationally for dealing with the seized contraband – with government officials saying they plan to exhibit it instead. Prime Minister Hun Sen ...
Hidden victims of war on drugs
Cambodia’s war on drugs is in full swing, routinely grabbing headlines as ever-growing numbers of suspects – more than 4,000 so far, most of them users – swell the Kingdom’s jails. But behind the high-profile raids, the campaign is having an alarming, albeit hidden, side ...
KrisEnergy to consider selling stake in Block A
Singapore-listed KrisEnergy Ltd is considering selling or farming out a stake in its Cambodia Block A offshore oilfield to ease its debt burden, according to the company’s 2016 year-end report. The oil and gas company posted $237.1 million in net losses for the 2016 fiscal ...
Meat imports rack up $100M tab
Cambodians spent over $100 million on imported meat last year, further widening the gap of domestic supply as local producers failed to capture the lucrative protein market, a government official said on February 23. Lor Reaksmey, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, said Cambodia’s heavy ...
Sihanoukville dredging eyed
Ministry of Environment officials on February 22 said an inspection team will be deployed to investigate the recently halted sand-dredging operation for the development of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port’s new multipurpose terminal, which has affected local families. Danh Serey, director of the ministry’s environmental impact assessment ...
Cluster model to entice SEZ investors
Kerry WorldBridge Logistics SEZ, which is developing a 63-hectare industrial park and free trade zone 17 kilometres south of the capital in Kandal province, has taken on a new partner to design and create an “industry and technology cluster” aimed at attracting non-garment manufacturing investment ...
Pak Beng inquiry sought
Environment Ministry official Eang Sophalleth said on February 20 that he has made a request to the Mekong River Commission that Laos adequately investigate the potential impacts of the proposed Pak Beng hydropower dam ahead of a meeting this week. State news agency AKP on February ...