Cambodia Morning News For April 11

Phnom Penh airport train launches as free service until July 31
An airport train service running from the capital’s train station on Monivong Boulevard to the Phnom Penh International Airport started on Tuesday at a ceremony presided over by Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Electronics manufacturer to build factory in Poipet SEZ
Sumitronics Manufacturing (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Sumitronics Corporation, a Japan-based electronics manufacturer, will set up a factory in Poipet Special Economic Zone, with the company reaching a land leasing agreement with the SEZ yesterday.
— Khmer Times

Draft minimum wage law talks finished
Following a request by a senior officer of the US State Department to hold another discussion on the draft minimum wage law, a tripartite group consisting of employers, unions and the government met again yesterday to check the law before sending it to relevant ministries.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia Says Thwarts Opposition Activist’s Plot to Attack
Cambodian authorities have thwarted an exiled opposition activist’s plot to set of two blasts days before traditional new year celebrations, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday (10/04).
— Jakarta Post

Cambodia’s socio-economic progress under Hun Sen
The visit of the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi to Siem Reap on 4 April is indicative of the bloc’s positive impression towards Cambodia.
— The Asean Post

Cambodia short $3.5 million for 2019 census, seeks funding
Cambodia needs to obtain $3.5 million to carry out its 2019 population census and is currently trying to mobilise funding support, an official said on Tuesday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia: Only a few banks offer loans to real estate sector
The Banking sector of Cambodia is highly competitive with around 60 banks and other major financial institutions jockeying for position and competing for market share in a country of 16 million people.
— Khmer Times

Officials praise ride app merger despite anti-competition fears
In the days following the announcement that ride-hailing giant Uber was selling its Southeast Asia assets to regional competitor Grab, regulators and government officials across the region took action to ensure the move wouldn’t hurt competition in the sector.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian Expats Urge General Election Boycott
The World Khmer Conference participants also demanded the immediate release of Kem Sokha and other political prisoners and called for free and fair elections.
— VOA Cambodia

A ride to the airport on Phnom Penh’s latest mode of public transport
Around 8am on Tuesday morning, a bell rang a few times at the Phnom Penh train station signalling to passengers that the first publicly available airport train in the capital was about to depart.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia considers new law targeting ‘fake news’
The crackdown on media in Cambodia may intensify with the proposal of a new law targeting creators and publishers of “fake news,” which comes just weeks after Malaysia approved an “anti-fake news” law that could see offenders jailed for up to 10 years.
— Deutsche Well

Telcos urged to pay up
LOCAL telecommunication companies have been told to settle their debt with the government by the end of this month or face legal action.
— Khmer Times

China’s Xi renews pledges to open economy and cut tariffs
Chinese President Xi Jinping promised yesterday to open the country’s economy further and lower import tariffs on products including cars, in a speech seen as an attempt to defuse an escalating trade dispute with the US.
— Khmer Times

Drowning for Progress in Cambodia
Suddenly the road ends. The cart track disappears under the water. A vast lake stretches out in front of me. I have to transfer from a motorbike to a canoe. “Tuk laang,” my guide says coolly. “The water is rising.”
— IPS News

Asia Foundation and Smart Axiata seek to digitally educate
The Asia Foundation and Smart Axiata yesterday announced a three-year partnership to help cultivate reading habits in the digital age.
— Khmer Times

Feature photo Enrico Strocchi

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.