News
NGOs urge PM to raise dam issue on Laos trip
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen will lead a delegation to Laos over the weekend to meet his counterpart Thongsing Thammavong, although officials on 10 March were silent on whether concerns surrounding the controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam would be raised. Keep reading ...
Unionists arrested by undercover police out on bail
Two unionists jailed since February 2 have been released on bail by the Kompong Speu Provincial Court in Cambodia, officials said on 10 March, although they remain charged with incitement and intentional violence in connection with a protest outside the Cerie garment factory. Keep reading ...
Samrin sends questions over Vietnam’s army ELCs to PM
More than a month after rejecting a letter from an opposition lawmaker pressing the government for answers about plantations in Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province controlled by the Vietnamese army, National Assembly President Heng Samrin this week forwarded a revised version to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Keep reading ...
Minister dismisses lawmaker’s HIV concerns
Cambodia’s Health Minister Mam Bunheng said on 9 March that he was unconcerned by a letter sent to him by the head of the National Assembly’s health commission last month concerning a spate of recently discovered HIV cases in Kandal province. Keep reading ...
Timber busts made in Stung Treng, Mondulkiri
The ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal logging in Cambodia has produced another pair of high-profile busts touted by the national military police. On 9 March, alleged smugglers in Stung Treng were busted attempting to sneak three tractor-loads of luxury wood into Laos. The day before, some 10,000 cubic ...
Rice body steps up to the plate
Responding to criticism, Cambodia’s apex rice industry body announced on 9 March that it would submit a plan to Prime Minister Hun Sen that addresses two of the major challenges facing the Kingdom’s rice sector – competition from rice imports and access to finance for millers. Keep ...
Controversial union law set for final review
The head of the National Assembly’s legislation commission of Cambodia said he hoped to have a controversial draft union law passed “very soon” after the latest round of feedback from unions and employers during a public workshop at Parliament on 9 March. Cambodian People’s Party parliamentarian ...
Details scant for warrants issued in logging crackdown
The recently formed anti-illegal logging committee has issued 10 warrants against alleged illegal timber traders since it began its crackdown in January, officials have confirmed, although the details of those accused and the charges they face remain under wraps. The committee’s spokesperson Eng Hy said on ...
Sceptics question police push for female recruits
Cambodia’s National Police chief had said he wants to increase female recruitment into the force this year, in part to reduce “inappropriate” clashes between male police and female protesters, though observers were sceptical that simply hiring more women would solve endemic problems in the force. In ...
Revised rubber export tax scheme criticised
Rubber producers said on 6 March the Cambodian government’s decision to amend the export tax scheme on natural rubber fell short of expectations and would do little to stem the losses of farmers as rubber prices hover near a six-year low. Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ...