News
Cambodia and Laos: The challenge of altering attitudes towards startups
Startups in Cambodia and Laos might be focussed on local problems, but meeting those needs could foster greater receptivity. At 15 million and seven million strong respectively, Cambodia and Laos both have in excess of 50 per cent of their people who are 24 or younger. ...
Cambodia's budget transparency at all-time low: report
The Cambodian government’s budget transparency score has fallen to its lowest measure on record, according to a recent survey, but officials remain optimistic that the score will improve in the future. Cambodia’s score of eight out of 100 in 2015’s Open Budget Survey put it near ...
Cambodia at low risk of debt distress: IMF
Cambodia’s external public debt is well within acceptable limits, but remains vulnerable to financial shocks such as export slowdowns or exchange rate fluctuations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest assessment of the Kingdom’s economy. “Cambodia’s debt distress rating remains low with all debt ...
UN criticises Cambodia, China rights violations
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on 17 November that an arrest warrant issued against Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy was a worrisome development and called for dialogue. Meanwhile, in Geneva, a UN watchdog questioned Chinese officials over alleged widespread use of torture in the country’s prisons, deaths ...
Mekong river dolphin faces added threat of Laos dam
Conservation experts and residents in Cambodia’s Kratie province say they are concerned for the wellbeing of the Mekong River dolphin, especially if a major hydropower project is built upstream. Laos says it intends to go forward with the Don Sahong Dam project, despite opposition from Cambodia ...
ASEAN integration concerns aired at grassroots event
Hundreds gathered on 16 November in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park for the fifth Cambodian Grassroots People’s Assembly, where they called for issues ranging from deforestation to democracy to be addressed ahead of ASEAN integration. About 700 people from the Cambodian Cross Sector Network, a group made up ...
Cambodian PM calls for drought aid preparations
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on local authorities and government ministries to be ready to distribute water to farmers around the country due to the ongoing shortage in Cambodia’s reservoirs. “Drought . . . has been threatening our agricultural production, therefore relevant authorities and ministries have to ...
Stripped of immunity, Rainsy delays return
Three days after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy on 16 November backed off a pledge to return to the Kingdom and face the prospect of jail, but insisted he would arrive soon. A day of drama that began ...
Activists call for delay of controversial union law
A group of more than 20 union leaders filed a petition in front of the National Assembly on 16 November demanding a delay in the passage of the draft trade union law, while yet again requesting a full copy of the controversial legislation. The draft law, which ...
Mekong locals seek a voice on Don Sahong
More than 6,400 residents of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia have signed and thumb-printed a statement on the Don Sahong Dam project, airing concerns ranging from the river’s diminishing fish stocks to the lack of transparency of the Mekong River Commission. The statement, presented last week at ...
