More stellar growth for Cambodia economy, but reforms needed says IMF
A report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts the Cambodian economy to continue its robust performance in the year ahead, tipping 2019 Cambodia GDP growth at 7.00 per cent, 25 percentage points below its forecast of 7.25 per cent GDP growth for 2018.
— AEC News Today
Union leaders set to appeal
All six union leaders convicted for their roles in the 2013 Veng Sreng Boulevard protests plan to bring their case to the Appeal Court, spurred on by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s assertion that three of the six men were not involved in the violent protests.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Family of jailed RT news fixer seeks help from Russian embassy
About ten family members and friends of a news fixer charged over his role in a sex trafficking documentary dismissed as fake news by the government attempted to submit a petition to the Russian embassy in the capital yesterday asking it to lobby for his freedom.
— The Khmer Times
EU to fund three projects, including climate change
The European Union is preparing about 115 million euro grant to offer Cambodia on three projects while the agreement will be signed early next year.
— The Khmer Times
U.S. Deports Dozens More Cambodian Immigrants, Some For Decades-Old Crimes
A flight chartered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is said to have departed Monday from El Paso, Texas, carrying about three dozen Cambodian immigrants who came to the U.S. legally, but were ordered deported for having committed a crime.
— NPR
CPP commits to strengthening multi-party democracy
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party today said that it is committed to strengthen multi-party democracy and maintain peace.
— The Khmer Times
Air Cargo Control Unit to help curb flow of illegal goods
Phnom Penh International Airport on Monday launched the office of the Air Cargo Control Unit in order to curb the trafficking and transporting of illegal goods.
— The Khmer Times
CPP holds 41st Central Committee Congress
Sovereignty and foreign meddling were the main topics on the first day of the Cambodian People’s Party congress yesterday.
— The Khmer Times
Mondulkiri Bunong families seek government intervention
Fourteen indigenous families from Mondulkiri province’s Dak Dam commune have sought urgent intervention from local authorities and a human rights NGO after machinery was used to clear their farmland.
— The Phnom Penh Post
France hopes for closer ties with Kingdom
French National Assembly vice-president Sylvain Waserman wishes to strengthen and expand diplomacy and cooperation with the Cambodian National Assembly, a statement issued on Monday said.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Prison official reshuffle requested
Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng has asked Interior Minister Sar Kheng to decide whether Major General Pech Yon, director of PJ prison, should be transferred to the ministry’s General Prison Department.
— The Khmer Times
Cambodian Red Cross aids thousands
The Cambodian Red Cross has said that it helped 138,937 families so far this year through disaster relief.
— The Khmer Times
CMAC signs MoU to use demining rats
The Cambodian Mine Action Center on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a demining NGO to use rats to detect mines in Siem Reap province.
— The Khmer Times
Preah Sihanouk governor swears to restore order
The governor of Preah Sihanouk pledged to restore the “province’s reputation and social order” on Monday, following orders by Prime Minister Hun Sen to curb criminal activity and disorder in the area.
— The Phnom Penh Post
UN fights malnutrition with snack
The production of Nutrix, a new fish-based wafer snack, was launched in Phnom Penh on Monday to assist in the fight against “severe acute child malnutrition” in Cambodia. The Nutrix facility is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and only the second in the East Asia and Pacific region.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Cracks in CNRP unity as Sam Rainsy takes over?
Cracks are beginning to be seen in Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) unity and analysts predict that a real split in the opposition may be seen in the coming weeks, after party co-founder Sam Rainsy said his position as CNRP “acting president” had become fully effective following blessings from Buddhist monks in Paris on Sunday.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Sam Rainsy Pledges to Return to Cambodia in 2019 Amid Disagreements in Opposition Party Ranks
Cambodian opposition politician Sam Rainsy, living in self-imposed exile since 2016, has vowed to return to Cambodia in 2019 to fight for democracy, amid stark divisions among the government’s political opponents.
— Radio Free Asia
Cambodia Sanctions Bill ‘to Die in Senate’
A bill sponsored by the US House of Representatives aimed at democracy promotion in Cambodia is likely to hit a roadblock at the Senate when Congress closes in December, officials have said.
— Voice of America
Groups advocate employment for the disabled
Civil society organisations whose work mainly focuses on advocating the welfare of people with disabilities across Asia appealed to their governments to pay more attention to the private sectors offering job opportunities for disabled people.
— The Phnom Penh Post
USAID project helps trafficking victims
While human trafficking remains a serious concern in the Kingdom, a project initiated by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) helped 108 victims to receive compensation, while a further 1,482 also benefited from the project.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Police track EBC fraudsters abroad
National Police are seeking the extradition of two persons, one from Malaysia and the other from Laos, accused of scamming more than 7,000 Cambodians of more than $60 million in a Ponzi scheme, an official said yesterday.
— The Khmer Times
Appeal Court hears case of couple sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
The Appeal Court heard on Monday, the case of a couple sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of a woman in June 2016.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Do more to promote children’s rights: Ministry
The Ministry of Interior yesterday urged sub-national administration officials to pay more attention on promoting and addressing the rights of women and children.
— The Khmer Times
Ex-soldier jailed 12 years over shooting
Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced a former soldier to 12 years in prison and fined him about $250 for shooting and injuring a man and a woman while drunk in Sen Sok district in February.
— The Khmer Times
Man tried for insulting, threatening to kill King
Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday tried a chicken vendor for insulting and threatening to kill King Norodom Sihamoni in a Facebook post in June.
— The Khmer Times
CRF: Kingdom’s rice exports do not impact EU farmers
The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has urged the EU to revise its Safeguard Clause as it could prove devastating to the Kingdom’s rice industry. The EU committee has not announced its final decision.
— The Phnom Penh Post
European Union to disburse $131 million grant
The European Union is preparing to disburse a grant of 115 million euro ($131 million) to Cambodia that will be used for programs related to public financial management reform, sustainability in the fishing sector and climate change.
— The Khmer Times
MLC Approves Projects for Cambodia
Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting approved new projects financed to the LMC’s countries which Cambodia will receive about $8 millions for its projects.
— The Khmer Times
Large private sector debt to cause high credit risk in economy
Sizable private sector debt, concentrated economic activities, relaxed underwriting standards and a very weak payment culture could result in the credit risk in the economy to remain extremely high, S&P Global Ratings said in a report yesterday.
— The Khmer Times
Smart Axiata introduces first voice over WiFi service
Smart Axiata yesterday launched Cambodia’s first voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) service that allows users to make and receive calls and SMS on their devices over any WiFi connections worldwide, Stjepan Udovicic, chief marketing officer said.
— The Khmer Times
Capital apartment supply seen tripling by 2030
The number of apartments in Phnom Penh is expected to almost triple from current levels by 2030, real estate valuers VTrust Appraisal said Tuesday.
— The Khmer Times
Port development discussed
Officials from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Japanese experts yesterday discussed the development of Cambodia’s ports aiming to enhance their handling capacity.
— The Khmer Times
Airports in Cambodia expect 10 million passengers in 2018
Cambodia Airports Co expects to handle 10 million passengers by the end of 2018, an increase of 1.2 million year-on-year possible thanks to the growing number of flights and a booming tourism sector.
— Bangkok Post
LMC approves 19 new projects for Cambodia
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation has approved the financing of new member country projects, in which Cambodia is set to receive about $8 million for 19 new education initiatives.
— The Khmer Times
‘Win-Win event to see 30,000 take part’
Defence Minister Tea Banh said on Monday that about 30,000 people are expected to attend the spectacular inauguration of the Win-Win Monument, which from December 29 celebrates Prime Minister Hun Sen’s struggles and rebuilding of a nation.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Phnom Penh school adopts new way of teaching math
Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh, designated as a New Generation School, yesterday announced it will introduce the PAMA programme aimed at calculating mathematics faster, becoming the first state school in the Kingdom to do so.
— The Khmer Times
Unsung heroes toil to keep Phnom Penh clean
Most people simply ignore garbage collectors or street cleaners, dismissing them as people paid for doing a dirty job; few realise these hard-working labourers are doing a vital job to help keep the city clean for low wages.
— The Khmer Times
Pawn shop rolls-out own franchise
Cash U Up (CUU) pawn shop, a subsidiary company of the WorldBridge Group of Companies, on Monday said it is rolling out its own franchise line for those interested in a highly profitable business without the need to setup their own.
— The Khmer Times
Cambodia’s Miss Universe contestant to return home
Twenty-three-year-old Rern Sinat from Kampong Cham province, only the second Miss Cambodia to compete in the Miss Universe beauty pageant, is said to be “a little disappointed but in good spirits” after not ranking in the 2018 Miss Universe contest in Bangkok, Thailand.
— The Phnom Penh Post
Rights group slams A-League star for working with Cambodian general
One of the A-League’s marquee signings has copped criticism for managing Cambodia’s national football team.
— SBS News
Feature photo Eng Kok-Thay / DC-Cam
This week’s Cambodia morning news feature photo acknowledges International Human Solidarity Day, December 20.
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.
Cambodia morning news for December 19 added by Mark Roy on
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A a professional photographer since the days of film, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Photomedia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism.
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