Cambodia Morning News For December 21

Hun Sen’s New Year Gift: Universal Healthcare For All Cambodia Employees
While Cambodia-focused media and human rightists have been focusing on the country’s slide from democracy a funny thing happened… universal healthcare for all workers in the Cambodia formal employment sector.
— AEC News Today

China’s Alipay signs partnership deal with Cambodia’s Pi Pay
China’s Alipay, the world’s largest online and mobile payment platform, signed a partnership agreement on Wednesday with Cambodia’s Pi Pay, allowing customers to use their Alipay wallets to pay at Pi Pay’s Point of Sale payment systems across Cambodia.
— Xinhua

Cambodia Buys Electricity from Laos
Electricite Du Cambodge (EDC) has signed an agreement with Electricite Du Laos (EDL) to temporary buy electricity from Laos in response to electricity shortages in Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom and Oddar Meanchey provinces.
— Fresh News

Thailand & Cambodia to develop border economic zones
The Thai – Cambodian border economic zone in Sa Kaeo province is launching a campaign to increase border trade.
— NNT

Panelists Call For Review of Cambodia’s UN Membership, Targeted Sanctions
The United Nations should review Cambodia’s membership status and member states must implement stronger measures against Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government ahead of elections next year, according to participants in a panel discussion on the country’s recent crackdown on democracy.
— Radio Free Asia

China Grants $7 Million for Cambodian Projects
Under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, Chinese Government has provided over $7 million to support 16 Cambodian projects.
— Fresh News

Local SMEs are urged to digitise payments
Cambodian businesses need to adapt and digitise their financial operations if they want to remain competitive regionally and around the world, industry insiders said yesterday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Fisheries Profits over $660,000 in 11 Months
The fisheries sector earned over $660,000 of the revenue for 11 months of 2017, according to the Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
— Fresh News

Cambodian airline launches direct Vietnam flights
Lanmei Airlines opens Phnom Penh-Hanoi and Siem Reap-HCMC flights on December 20.
— Vietnam Economic Times

Myanmar ready to send anti-venom to Kingdom
Myanmar’s state-owned pharmaceutical factory intends to export anti-venom serum to Cambodia at the start of 2018, shipping half of its annually produced 100,000 vials to both Laos and the Kingdom, according to a recent release.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Japan Grants $312 Million to Cambodia
Japan has granted a total of $312 million to Cambodia, according to Senior Minister Prak Sokhonn, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFA).
— Fresh News

Australian firm expects licence soon for Mondulkiri gold mine
Australian mining firm Emerald Resources announced yesterday that it was making positive progress towards full licensing and funding of its Okvau gold mine project in Mondulkiri province, with the licence expected as early as the next few weeks.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Technology Leaders Gear Up For Industry 4.0
More than 200 entrepreneurs and investors in the country’s fledging technology sector gathered yesterday at the Tech Startup and SMEs Forum in Phnom Penh to discuss the biggest opportunities and most pressing challenges of doing business in a digital economy.
— B2B

Feature photo Brad Collis/Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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Cambodia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Cambodia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.