The Phnom Penh Post
Tobacco deal leaves farmers out
It has been more than six months since Vietnam agreed to waive duties on 3,000 tonnes of Cambodian dried tobacco exports per year, yet local smallholder tobacco farmers claim the agreement has done little to improve their incomes, with some accusing large tobacco companies of ...
ANZ distances itself from Cambodian partner
Australian financial institution ANZ has distanced itself from the Royal Group, its local partner in a Cambodian joint venture bank, following police reports linking the group to illegal logging activities. A report published by Cambodia’s National Police this week accused Royal Group, owned by prominent ...
LGBTIQ progress questioned
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith presided over a meeting on LGBTIQ pride on Wednesday, highlighting the community’s “legal rights”, the extent of which was disputed by activists on May 18. The statement was posted by government newswire AKP, which also quoted last year’s statement from government spokesman ...
Less US funding for UXO clearing
The United States has warned Cambodia it may have to shoulder more responsibility for the cost of clearing mines from its territory, ending an era in which Washington has carried the bulk of the cost of removing mines and other explosives after the Vietnam War ...
Cambodia’s ‘fragile’ decade: Kingdom ranked poorly in stability index
With the ruling party ominously invoking the possibility of war as elections draw near, a new index suggests the Kingdom is indeed at risk of instability – not thanks to outside challenges to the CPP, but to the government’s own opacity and lack of accountability. ...
Former NEC president appointed to new role
Former President of the National Election Committee Im Suosdey, once criticised for perceived bias in favour of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, was appointed by the National Assembly yesterday as a member of the Constitutional Council. Suosdey, who gained the approval of 66 out of ...
Swine smugglers put on notice
The Ministry of Agriculture has authorised a new private sector task force to investigate reports of widespread pig smuggling and bogus pig-raising operations, which domestic pig farmers claim have put market prices on live swine in a trough. The task force is led by agro-industrial ...
Connectivity key to ASEAN growth
Southeast Asian business and political leaders meeting in Phnom Penh on May 11 said multilateral connectivity, both physical and digital, was needed to ensure that ASEAN’s development and growth was not restricted by national borders. Delegates attending the second day of the World Economic Forum on ...
Government probing logging claims
The Ministry of Environment is investigating collusion between state officials and timber traders in the country’s east, Environment Minister Say Sam Al said on May 11, three days after a report exposed industrial-scale illegal logging backed by Vietnamese traders in Ratanakkiri province. The minister’s comments ...
Mineral exploration permits offered for protected Prey Lang
One of four new mining exploration permits, advertised publicly this week, is within the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary map, coordinates reveal, sparking concern among activists and community members about the strength of the forest’s recently-acquired protected status. In the first public tender of fresh exploration ...
