| Regional Affairs
China admiral talks warships with Cambodia as navy drill shores up ties Reuters 26th Feb 2016
China held a joint naval drill with Cambodia for the first time on Friday, tightening a budding relationship that could give Beijing a small but strategic foothold in a region being strongly courted by the United States. Sailors from both countries took part in a rescue exercise in Preah Sihanouk during a five-day trip that the ranking Chinese navy officer, Rear Admiral Yu Manjiang, said showed their warm ties and was "like visiting a sibling's home".
National Affairs
Rice body steps up to the plate The Phnom Penh Post 10th Mar 2016
Responding to criticism, Cambodia’s apex rice industry body announced yesterday 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. The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), which has come under fire from members critical of the direction in which the nation’s rice industry is being steered, will ask the government to make it mandatory for rice importers to have licences, and ask for its help in facilitating low-interest loans for millers, the federation revealed at a press conference yesterday.
All sides air union law views The Phnom Penh Post 10th Mar 2016
Unions, employers and government officials from both sides of the political divide had their say yesterday during a public forum at the National Assembly to discuss the controversial draft union law, with officials concluding they will consider all suggestions at a further review with two of the assembly’s commissions today. Unions, who claim the law is designed to repress their activities and restrict worker freedoms, acknowledged yesterday that some concerns have been addressed, but said clauses relating to the right to protest, the number of workers needed to strike and the financial reporting requirements of unions still needed further debate.
Cambodia’s visits rise 6% TR Weekly 7th Mar 2016
PHNOM PENH, 7 March 2016: Cambodia’s tourist arrivals registered an increase of 6.1%, January to December, 2015, according to the country’s statistics and tourist Information department. Released by the Ministry of Tourism, late last week, the report shows the country welcomed 4,775,231 international visits compared to 4,502,775 in 2014.
Cambodia asks EU to give its bicycle makers a break The Phnom Penh Post 7th Mar 2016
Cambodian trade officials are calling on the European Union to extend an exemption on local content requirements that has allowed the Kingdom’s bicycle manufacturing industry to flourish and become the second-largest supplier of bicycles to the EU after Taiwan. Minister of Commerce Sun Chanthol addressed the nascent industry’s future during a consultation with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström during a meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand late last week.
Development fears at Cambodia's most beautiful beach The Telegraph 3rd Mar 2016
Dozens of independent bungalows at one of Cambodia's most unspoiled beaches are to be bulldozed with weeks, raising fears that a "soulless" mega-resort will replace them. The businesses on Otres beach, in Sihanoukville Province on Cambodia’s south coast, will be demolished within a fortnight, according to an eviction notice served by government officials. The beach is popular with Western tourists because it has so far been left alone by big developers, creating a laid back, independent atmosphere.
Flow of Drugs Through Cambodia on the Rise The Cambodia Daily 26th Feb 2016
The relaxing of trade restrictions in Southeast Asian countries has also increased the flow of illegal drugs into the region, according to a report released by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime on Thursday. The report, “Protecting Peace and Prosperity in Southeast Asia: Synchronizing Economic and Security Agendas,” says that an increase in cross-border commerce spurred by regional integration has also made drug trafficking more prevalent due to an easing of border controls and regulations.
Customs
Chinese tourists to Cambodia up 24% in 2015 China Daily 7th Mar 2016
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia attracted some 694,712 Chinese tourists last year, up 24 percent year-on-year, accounting for 14.5 percent of the total international visitors to the country last year, said a report from the Tourism Ministry Monday. China ranked the second largest source of tourists to Cambodia last year after Vietnam, the report said.
Company Provisionally Charged Over Record Ivory Seizure The Cambodia Daily 29th Feb 2016
The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court has laid provisional charges against the director of an import-export and freight-forwarding firm over his alleged role in smuggling more than 3,000 kg of elephant tusks into Cambodia in 2014—the largest haul of ivory ever seized in the country. Y Kheang, an investigating judge at the provincial court, said that Khan Sinith, director of the Reho Both company, had been charged with violating Cambodia’s customs and forestry laws following an investigation by authorities that had stretched on for more than 18 months.
Commerce Minister Says TPP Could Help Cambodian Trade Voice of America 29th Feb 2016
Cambodia will need several years to chart a path toward joining the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, but Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol believes it would be worth the effort. The trade pact so far has 12 partners, including the US, but it will take at least two years for the TPP to be endorsed by their respective lawmaking bodies, Sun Chanthol told reporters recently. In the future, Cambodia could also join. “I believe that Cambodia is a small but open nation,” he said. “We don’t forbid a lot of things in Cambodia. Hence, if we sign a lot of bilateral agreement with other nations in the world, it is a really good thing for Cambodia.”
US trade treaty to aid Kingdom's TPP ambitions The Phnom Penh Post 15th Feb 2016
As Prime Minister Hun Sen attends the US-ASEAN Summit in California today, government officials are in the midst of ongoing negotiations with their American counterparts to formulate a trade and investment agreement, which analysts say could be a stepping stone towards one day joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership. At a meeting in Phnom Penh last week, representatives from both countries, headed by Secretary of State for Commerce Pan Sorasak and Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Barbara Weisel, focused on expediting a bilateral investment treaty, as well as enhancing trade capacities, said Ken Ratha, spokesman for the Commerce Ministry.
Lao Rice-export Target Sparks Alarm Khmer Times 9th Mar 2016
Local rice millers and exporters have responded with alarm to the rice-export target set by the Lao government of 1 million tons this year, while Cambodian rice millers and traders have yet to overcome numerous barriers hindering their competitiveness at home and abroad. The Cambodian government missed its target of exporting 1 million tons of milled rice last year. Oryza, a rice industry website based in Thailand, quoted the director of the department of planning and cooperation at the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, as saying the impoverished landlocked county is aiming to export 1 million tons of rice this year.
Cambodia to use helicopter gunships in logging crackdown The New Straits Times 25th Feb 2016
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday said he had authorised the use of helicopter gunships to crack down on rampant illegal logging in an effort to curb deforestation. Hun Sen recently appointed armed forces deputy commander-in-chief General Sao Sokha and the head of the military police to curb illegal logging and timber smuggling. The trade, lubricated by violence and bribery of forestry officials and border guards, has eviscerated one quarter of the country’s forests in a generation.
Cambodia and United States to Sign Investment Treaty Khmer Times 23rd Feb 2016
Cambodia expects to conclude a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with the United States within the next month that is set to expand trade and investment between the two countries. The move follows a meeting between Catherine Novelli, US Under Secretary for Economic Growth, and Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol last week, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce. “(Ms.) Novelli encouraged Cambodia to work towards the conclusion of the BIT between the US and Cambodia as soon as it is practical in order to promote more investment from the US to Cambodia,” the statement said.
Indian Investors Warming up to Cambodia Khmer Times 18th Feb 2016
Although bilateral trade between India and Cambodia remains low, investors from the subcontinent are eying the market here for its potential as a regional hub for their agricultural, machinery and industrial products, B. Sarkar, executive director of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India, told a forum yesterday. Cambodia has three potential points for Indian investment: agriculture, automobile spare parts, and solar and wind energy, he said. Cambodia’s dollarized economy makes it easier for investors to take money back home, Mr. Sarkar said, stressing that this was one point investors factor in when making decisions about where to invest.
E-Payments
Ly Hour to join cash transfer market The Phnom Penh Post 25th Feb 2016
Domestic money-transfer service Ly Hour Pay Pro has received an operating licence from the central bank and will begin operations soon with 1,000 agents nationwide, the chairman of the eponymous Ly Hour Group said yesterday. According to Ly Hour, the new company will focus on domestic money transfers, pre-paid mobile phone top-ups and bill payment services.
Economics
MEF sounds warning bell over credit growth risk The Phnom Penh Post 7th Mar 2016
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has raised concerns about the rapid growth of credit and real estate sectors, which it says could pose risks to Cambodia’s economic growth, while emphasizing that policy measures were being taken to mitigate these risks. Vongey Vissoth, secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said yesterday during a public forum organised by the ministry that while the country was in a better fiscal position than a few years ago, there were structural weaknesses that needed to be addressed.
MFI Growth Still Healthy after 10 Years The Phnom Penh Post 6th Mar 2016
The number of microfinance institutions has been growing steadily over the past decade and this has contributed rising living standards in the Kingdom, according to the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA). Hout Ieng Tong, the newly-elected president of the CMA and the CEO of Hattha Kaksekar Limited, one of the largest MFIs in Cambodia, said the sector has not experienced any big problems despite its rapid growth.
Strike, layoffs at garment factory called off after negotiations The Phnom Penh Post 29th Feb 2016
Following three days of strike action, the majority of the 100 workers recently let go from Malaysian-owned Global Apparels Limited garment factory returned to work on Saturday, after the Ministry of Labour stepped in to mediate the dispute. On Friday, the workers – who were released after the company decided not to renew their fixed-term contracts – took their protest to the Ministry of Labour, who called a meeting with the factory’s owners and workers representatives, according to a ministry statement.
Energy
Consensus reached on fuel pricing procedure The Phnom Penh Post 10th Mar 2016
The government has reached an agreement with two foreign oil companies operating in Cambodia on a proposed fuel-price mechanism, ending a two-month deadlock that has prevented it from implementing a price ceiling on gasoline sold at petrol stations across the Kingdom. “All [petroleum] companies, including the two multinational companies Caltex and Total, have now agreed with the proposed formula,” Commerce Ministry spokesman Ken Ratha said yesterday.
Officials Urge Investment in Energy Sector The Cambodia Daily 3rd Mar 2016
In light of Cambodia’s growing demand for energy, government officials on Wednesday called on the private sector to invest in the country’s power generation and transmission needs. At the “Powering Cambodia” conference in Phnom Penh, organized by the Independent Power Producers Association of India (IPPAI), representatives of the Mines and Energy Ministry, the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) and Electricite du Cambodge (EdC) met with Indian experts to discuss possible reforms to the country’s underfunded energy sector.
Oil Exploration Drilling In Block D Still Unclear The Cambodia Daily 3rd Mar 2016
More than a year after receiving permission to start exploratory drilling, Mirach Energy, a Singapore-based oil exploration and production company, is still unsure about when it will be able to commence drilling in Cambodia’s Block D offshore oil field because the Ministry of Mines and Energy has not come to a decision on fees for the block, according to its 2015 financial report released Tuesday. CPHL Camodia, which is 48 percent owned by Mirach Energy, has held the production rights to the 5,500-square-km area off the coast of Sihanoukville since 2006, but the project has been largely static since it was given initial environmental clearance in November 2014.
Aust company brings solar to Cambodia The Australian News 26th Feb 2016
PHNOM PENH, EFE - Before dawn breaks, Houk Kymia and Wen Suen begin to make coffee they will later sell on the streets of Phnom Penh, all this aboard their "tuk tuk," a three-wheeled light delivery van which runs on solar energy and is helping them make a decent living. A vibrant sky blue in colour, the van moves quietly through the popular Russian market in the Cambodian capital, attracting attention of passers-by little accustomed to spotting solar vehicles.
Hydro standards ‘below par’, study finds The Phnom Penh Post 8th Mar 2016
Chinese money accounts for the overwhelming majority of investment in Cambodia’s anaemic energy sector, but while the government has been happy to take Beijing’s loans for the construction of hydroelectric plants, a study published last month found that such investment came with both ecological and economic consequences. Taking as a case study the Chinese-built Kamchay hydropower dam in Kampot province, the paper – written by Amsterdam Free University’s Heng Pheakdey – examines the roots and consequences of China’s interest in Cambodia’s underdeveloped electricity generation facilities.
Financial Services
CSX signs data-sharing deal with Laos, Vietnam The Phnom Penh Post 2nd Mar 2016
Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) has signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on information and experience sharing with Lao Securities Exchange (LSX) and Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX). The MoUs, signed here last Friday, aim to increase cooperation in the sharing of market data and disclosure information, as well as public awareness activities and investor education programs.
Securities transaction fees reduced The Phnom Penh Post 29th Feb 2016
Cambodia's security regulator has slashed transaction fees on securities by half in its latest bid to stimulate interest in the Kingdom’s lacklustre stock exchange. Sok Dara, deputy director of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC), said a decision was made last week to reduce the trading fee, clearance and settlement fee, and depository fee on securities by 50 per cent, effective immediately.
Banking on human resources Phnom Penh Post 15th Feb 2016
Acleda Bank, Cambodia’s largest bank, is morphing its existing training centre into a full-fledged educational institution, after obtaining a licence last month. The new institute will look to provide bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, with majors in finance and banking. The Post’s Sorn Sarath sat down with So Phonnary, president and group managing director at Acleda, to discuss the intentions behind the new institute and the quality of education and human resources available in Cambodia.
Food & Agriculture
Kingdom’s unbranded rice industry continues to be pelted by challenges The Phnom Penh Post 29th Feb 2016
Despite having won TRT (The Rice Traders) World’s Best Rice competition in three consecutive years since 2012, Cambodia’s rice industry continues to face challenges when pitted against its regional competitors – namely Thailand and Vietnam, according to rice industry experts. The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), established in May 2014 under the Ministry of Commerce’s initiative, has been the main private organisation responsible for the promotion of the rice industry, according to Vichit Ith, executive director of Apsara Rice (Cambodia) Co. Ltd.
Outside Phnom Penh, Organic Goods Market on Upswing Voice of America 3rd Mar 2016
At a public market in Kampong Speu Province, west of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, a stall selling organic vegetables attracts dozens of housewives and passersby. Many stop to buy the locally grown vegetables, which are here thanks to a new program established by the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC). The goal is to promote organic products locally and to cater to a growing base of consumers who want to eat healthier. For buyers like Sok Srey Oun, 30, that also means supporting local farmers.
Millers, exporters take on rice federation The Phnom Penh Post 3rd Mar 2016
A newly formed coalition of rice millers and exporters has raised alarm bells, forecasting the imminent “collapse” of the nation’s rice sector within two years and blaming in part “governance failure” by the industry’s apex body. The 18-member group, whose initiative is called the Rice Industry Strategic Key Solution (RISKS), met Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol earlier this week to make a case that governance of the Cambodia Rice Federation’s (CRF) “had broken down” and the industry body was wrongly focused on long-term initiatives rather than formulating an emergency plan to protect struggling millers and exporters.
Cassava, Rubber Processing Plants Being Mulled: Official Khmer Times 3rd Mar 2016
Japan may import cassava and rubber from Cambodia and investors from the country are considering building processing plants for the two commodities here, according to a senior official at the Agriculture Ministry. Feasibility studies for the plants are being conducted, said Khann Samban director of the ministry’s department of industrial crops. The statement follows a meeting last week between Tatsuo Fujimura, president and representative director of JTC Corp and Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol during which the executive said his company was studying the feasibility of importing the two commodities to Japan, while Mr. Chanthol encouraged Japanese investors to consider building processing plants in Cambodia.
Cambodia's Kampot Pepper Wins Coveted EU Protection ABC News 2nd Mar 2016
Cambodia's Kampot pepper, a go-to spice for chefs around the world, has joined an elite group of gourmet food items whose names are protected by the European Union, joining products such as Gruyere cheese from France and Parma ham from Italy. The coveted designation, known as Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI, works like a trademark protection that certifies the origin of regional foods. It means that any product sold in EU countries calling itself "Kampot pepper" must come from a designated region in southern Cambodia that includes Kampot and neighboring Kep province.
Increasing sustainable food production could empower Cambodian women Phys.org 26th Feb 2016
A team of researchers, led by scientists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will launch a project designed to improve nutrition and empower women in Cambodia by promoting their production and marketing of horticultural crops and rice produced via sustainable intensification practices. Funding for the $1 million project, titled Women in Agriculture Network Cambodia: Gender and Ecologically Sensitive Agriculture, was awarded by the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, which is based at Kansas State University. The program is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative.
Health & Life Sciences
WHO, Phnom Penh: No Regional HIV Outbreak Voice of America 4th Mar 2016
A suspected outbreak of HIV in Kandal province is unlikely, Cambodian health officials say following an investigation. Only four out of 279 people tested positive for the virus in Peam village, Sambour Meas commune, in Kandal in February, according to a joint statement by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.
The First Wealth is Health The World Bank 2nd Mar 2016
A new hospital facility in Preah Vihear is a symbol of the incredible change over the last 20 years in Cambodia’s health care system. The once ill-equipped hospital had a major upgrade and officially opened in 2013. Patients living in rural areas can now get the modern medicine they need without traveling far or trying to come up with money they don’t have. Today, 16 Makara is the largest hospital in Preah Vihear. It has modern equipment and is staffed with doctors and medical specialists including hospital director Dr. Koung Lo. Two of the patients were Chet Doc and Siv Mao.
Health Ministry Warns of Counterfeit Hepatitis Drugs KHMER Times 2nd Mar 2016
The Ministry of Health issued a warning to the public to be wary of two common medications for the treatment of Hepatitis C, counterfeit versions of which have been found circulating in Myanmar. Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Ly Sovann did not know whether counterfeit versions of the drugs – Daclatasvir and Sofobuvir – had made their way into Cambodia, and said the alert was a preemptive measure. “The products are not the medicines they say they are, but could be flour. If our people buy them, they will waste time and money,” Dr. Sovann said.
Cambodia Confronts HIV Epidemic Youth Health 23rd Feb 2016
Cambodia is currently experiencing an HIV outbreak allegedly caused by an unlicensed doctor reusing dirty needles on patients. Villagers from Peam have since been in a rush to get to a group of health officials who are taking blood samples for HIV screening. Most of them anxious to find out if they are infected by the virus especially considering that majority of the people go to the alleged unlicensed doctor to get vaccinated.
Cambodia probes new village HIV outbreak Channel News Asia 22nd Feb 2016
Cambodia health officials on Monday (Feb 22) were screening hundreds of villagers for HIV after 14 locals tested positive for the virus, sparking fears of a fresh outbreak. Nervous villagers from Peam, an hour north of the capital Phnom Penh, have flocked to a house where a team of health officials were taking blood samples. Ly Peng Sun, the director of the National Centre for HIV, said moves to test the entire village were made after 14 people screened positive earlier this month. HIV rates are high in impoverished Cambodia but the country has made significant gains against the virus in recent years. However fears are running high after a recent outbreak in another village left more than 200 infected.That outbreak was traced to an unlicensed doctor reusing dirty needles who has since been jailed.
HIV cluster in Cambodia linked to unsafe medical injection practices Healio 22nd Feb 2016
Researchers who studied a large cluster of new HIV infections in Cambodia attributed to unsafe injection practices have recommended that national prevention strategies be expanded to monitor the risk for HIV transmission via unsafe injections. The recommendation came after nearly 3% of the residents of one rural community in northwest Cambodia recently were diagnosed with HIV after a surge in testing prompted by fears among residents that they were at risk for exposure.
ICT
Got a problem? Try Cambodia PM's ministry of Facebook Reuters 7th Mar 2016
Unable to pay his way out of jail, Kong Chamroeun was remanded in a Cambodian prison pending trial for stealing $80 of company property, a crime his family said he did not commit. "We had nothing, just empty hands," said his girlfriend, Lorn Chenda, who alleged police tried to extort Chamroeun for $2,000 in "compensation" in exchange for not pressing charges.
Cambodia Leaders Rev up Facebook Rivalry as Popularity Soars The Phnom Penh Post 3rd Mar 2016
Cambodia's long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen and exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy have gotten an early start on campaigning for elections in 2018, vying for "likes" in Facebook as the political role of social media grows among the country's youthful electorate. Both Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy tend to favor a casual approach, like Sam Rainsy riding a bicycle in the snow, or standing at the beach in a swimsuit. Hun Sen, swathed in a plush, white terrycloth bathrobe, clutching two mobile phones in the dark; sitting on the ground eating noodles, watering flowers, or hugging his grandchildren.
Cambodians Warm to Smartphone Dating Apps The Cambodia Daily 15th Feb 2016
Two years ago, 24-year-old Yi Sal was scrolling through his newsfeed on Facebook when he saw a pretty girl he’d never seen before. “I added her and start chatting with her,” the mustached singer and drummer said on a recent afternoon at Hun Sen park in Phnom Penh. The two met up at a local coffee shop and hit it off. “Before, I had a few girlfriends, but now only one,” he said. Young, urban Cambodians like Mr. Sal are increasingly turning to their smartphones and computers to like, swipe and chat their way to romance, bucking deep-seated cultural norms on courtship in the process.
Cambodia Embarks on E-Government Khmer Times 29th Feb 2016
Early this month Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that his administration was moving toward e-government, praising the efforts made by the Ministry of Commerce, under the leadership of Minister Sun Chanthol to make services like commercial registration available online. He also urged all ministries to use social media to reach out to a wider audience, and encouraged all ministries to set up Facebook pages, given the popularity of Facebook in Cambodia. However, e-government is a relatively new concept in the Kingdom. Many policymakers at both the national and local levels have not been trained to use information technology to deliver public services. Implementing e-government services requires sufficient knowledge, infrastructure and manpower. E-government strategies use the Internet to deliver information and services to citizens. E-government also provides a platform for interactions between the public sector and the private sector, and can build trust between the state and society.
Gov't Figures Show Cambodia's Mobile Internet Usage Continues to Rise Forbes 25th Feb 2016
The number of people in Cambodia accessing the Internet from their mobile devices increased by 1.3 million during a 10-month period last year, though the number of mobile phone subscribers increased by just over 4,500 during the same period, according to figures released last week by the country’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. More than 6.3 million people used their smartphone to access the Internet in December 2015 compared to 5 million in February 2015. Mobile phone subscribers increased from 20,536,204 to 20,540,736. The report does not say what type of phone—smartphone, feature or basic—subscribers used.
Smart Moves on Tech Education Khmer Times 18th Feb 2016
Telecom operator Smart Axiata Co. Ltd. and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding that will see Smart donate more than $320,000 to build a facility for students at the National Institute of Post, Telecom & ICT (NIPTICT). Minister Prak Sokhon said the mission of the institute is to train a new generation of workers for Iinformation and communications technology (ICT) sector, which is playing a vital role in developing the country and ensuring integration in the ASEAN Economic Community.
Infrastructure
Canadians in Cambodia Open the First & Only Non-Profit Hotel PR Newswire 7th Mar 2016
SIEM REAP, Cambodia, March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Since opening its doors in November 2015, Green Leaf Boutique Hotel has quickly become the number one choice for tourists who are looking to give back during their holidays.
Cambodian PM reiterates support for China-initiated AIIB, Silk Road Fund China Daily 7th Mar 2016
PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday reiterated the country's support for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Silk Road Fund, saying that they are key sources of capital for infrastructure development. "We particularly welcome the recent establishment of the AIIB, initiated by China but now involving a strong international partnership of multilateral and bilateral agencies," he said in a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Cambodia Outlook Conference here.
Cambodia, China Deal For Submarine Cable Marine Link 3rd Mar 2016
The Cambodian government signed a $70 million investment agreement with a Chinese-owned telecommunication infrastructure provider on Wednesday to connect Cambodia to a 25,000-km underwater fiber-optic network spanning three continents. The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPT) signed a 25-year concession agreement with Cambodia Fiber Optic Cable Network (CFOCN), on 2 March to build a landing station in Sihanoukville and lay an underwater fibre-optic cable that patches into the existing AAE-1 cable, one of the main high-speed data conduits linking Asian, African and European countries.
Construction Jobs Doubled Last Year: Ministry Khmer Times 1st Mar 2016
The construction sector created almost twice as many jobs last year as it did in 2014, according to a report from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. The sector created between 208,290 and 251,490 jobs per day last year, with the number in Phnom Penh ranging from 96,500 to 108,500 per day, the report said.
133-Story Twin Towers Get Initial Approval The Cambodia Daily 18th Feb 2016
The government is reviewing a mammoth $1-billion proposal by the Thai Boon Roong Group to build twin commercial skyscrapers in Phnom Penh which, if constructed, would be among the world’s tallest buildings. Plans for the 133-story Thai Boon Roong Twin Trade Center, which would be situated on five hectares of prime real estate across from the NagaWorld casino—the current site of Dreamland amusement park—have received initial approval from the municipal land management department, officials said on Wednesday.
TPP
Cambodia Takes Closer Look at US-led Trade Deal Voice of America 23rd Feb 2016
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian finance officials say they are now more closely studying membership in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade pact that seeks to boost economic ties across the region. Finance Secretary of State Vongsey Visoth recently told investors that Cambodia could not afford to ignore the opportunity even though the country is already negotiating with China to enter the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership.
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