News
Koh Kong locals seek land’s return
Representatives of 526 Koh Kong families hopped on their motos on 25 March to deliver petitions to their district town halls calling for the return of land taken from them by a 2006 economic land concession (ELC), as well as compensation for lost crops. In 2006, a ...
UN envoy meets with Sesan villagers to discuss dam site
The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia on 27 March promised villagers in Stung Treng province who are set to be displaced by the construction of the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam for the massive energy project that she would raise their plight with the ...
Plan aims to rebuild silk sector
With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...
National bank ups cash reserve requirements
The National Bank of Cambodia has doubled the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks and significantly raised the requirements for microfinance institutions in a move experts say will protect and consolidate the country’s banking sector. Capital requirements are used by central banks worldwide to ensure ...
Drought hits district in Mondulkiri
Up to 4,000 mostly ethnic minority people in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima district are facing a water shortage after the local supplier announced service would be suspended due to impending wide scale drought. The announcement, issued by the Bor Poch water company, called on residents to conserve ...
Reththy, Agriculture Ministry continue to squabble
The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a request from private-sector rubber firms – led by agricultural tycoon Mong Reththy – for a meeting to discuss the floundering fortunes of the nation’s rubber sector, claiming the ministry was busy and was already addressing the issue. The rejection ...
Villagers torch ELC guard posts in land dispute protest
More than 200 people from five villages in Preah Vihear and Siem Reap provinces burned two rubber company guard posts to the ground on March 21, in protest of the planned clearing of at least 1,000 hectares of disputed farmland and forests, including land on ...
Evictions signal coastal development dilemma
With the threat of eviction hanging over businesses on Sihanoukville’s O’Chheuteal and O’Tres beaches, land rights advocates congregated in Phnom Penh this week to give voice to thousands of families locked in land disputes with powerful firms turning swaths of coastline into tourism destinations. Keep reading ...
China agrees to share data on its dams
China has agreed to share information on the management of dams in the Mekong River, known as Lancang in China, with other countries connected to the river, says Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment spokesman Suphot Tovichakchaikul. The move aims to reduce the impact of ...
Kampong Thom communities facing water shortages
About 5,000 families in Kampong Thom’s Stoung district are facing water shortages as the hot El Niño climate pattern bakes Cambodia for the second consecutive year. While there is enough drinking water for the time being, some residents have to drive a considerable distance to ...
