Cambodia Morning News For June 28

Government eyeing low-cost housing
An estimated 7.9 million people in Cambodia will be living in urban areas by 2030, up from 4.5 million in 2014, with officials at a forum on national housing yesterday announcing ambitious plans to meet the demand for some 55,000 affordable new homes each year.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Official Admits to Selling State Property, Blames Older Colleagues
The director of Preah Vihear’s provincial department of mines and energy admitted in court on Tuesday that he had sold off state land worth about $65,000, but claimed he had done it at the request of older officials and did not pocket the money himself.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

ADB partnering Cambodia utility for 100MW solar park programme
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is collaborating with Cambodian state-run energy utility Electricite Du Cambodge (EDC) to set up a 100MW national solar park programme.
— PV-Tech

Mobile World opens first shop abroad in Cambodia
Mobile World Investment has opened its first BigPhone store outside Vietnam’s saturated market in Cambodia with its young population of 15 million.
— Nikkei Asian Review

QR codes could prove to be a digital alternative to cash for Cambodia
Global payments giant Visa is the first international financial firm to announce the roll out of a payment solution in Cambodia for quick response codes, or QR codes, those pixelated black and white squares designed to be read by a smartphone camera that have begun popping up at retail outlets throughout the capital.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Central bank shared switch due to launch in July
The central bank hopes to launch its central shared switch mechanism next month after a trial run that has already connected the account records of three of the Kingdom’s leading financial institutions, allowing them to operate ATM and point-of-sale (POS) terminals in tandem, according to a banking official.
— The Phnom Penh Post

PropertyGuru Cambodia Property Awards 2018 open for nominations
The search is on for Cambodia’s finest in the property sector. Nominations are now open for 2018’s edition of PropertyGuru Cambodia Property Awards. Successful nominees will vie for the top prize in three main categories – Developer, Development and Design. This also includes identifying the next Cambodia Real Estate Personality of the Year, an award recognising the individual who shows innovation, ambition and exceptional achievements in the industry.
— PropertyGuru

Nearly 300 UXO found at farm in Battambang
Over 270 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) were unearthed yesterday in Battambang province after villagers reported the presence of explosives at their pepper plantation on Sunday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Latest Railways Collision Prompts Operator to Take Action
Following yet another collision on Tuesday—a train struck a car that drove around a lowered boom barrier in Phnom Penh—the country’s railways operator said it would soon televise a public education campaign to promote safety.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Drug war fuels crowding, health concerns
With authorities expressing a desire to extend the Kingdom’s controversial drug war beyond its six-month window, observers say an outbreak of respiratory illness among prisoners in Kampong Speu’s provincial prison last week has underscored the medical pressures created by an ongoing prison overcrowding crisis.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Blackout Roils Phnom Penh, 21 Provinces
A fault in electrical transmissions knocked out power to Phnom Penh and 21 of Cambodia’s 24 provinces on Tuesday, disrupting municipal water supplies, interrupting trading in the capital’s markets and leading to renewed calls for the country to further develop its own power generation.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Governor called out on Facebook over traffic obstructions
A National Police post on social media yesterday criticised the Chamkarmon district governor and City Hall, which it accused of getting “benefits” for allowing a Chinese construction firm to store materials on Norodom Boulevard adjacent to a construction site, blocking traffic on the busy thoroughfare in the process.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia Authorities Monitor Activist Monks Protesting Weapon Arrest
Plainclothes officers in Cambodia’s Battambang province are monitoring the temple home of a group of activist monks after they called for the release of one of their number, who was arrested last week after posting a photo of himself on social media posing with a gun, a leading monk said Tuesday.
— Radio Free Asia

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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.

Cambodia Morning News For June 28 added by Leakhena Khat on June 28, 2017
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.