Cambodia Morning News For July 25

Cambodia says 52 nations to send monitors for its election
A Cambodian government official on Thursday said as many as 220 observers from 52 countries would monitor Sunday’s general elections, widely expected to deliver a landslide victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen after the main opposition was dissolved.
— Reuters

Hidden opposition networks bide time waiting to end ‘nightmare’ in Cambodia
Even on a crackling line from Africa to Asia, Mu Sochua sounds determined.
— Channel NewsAsia

Government fires back at the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur to Cambodia
The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has expressed dismay over the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur to Cambodia Rhona Smith’s comments on the forthcoming general elections.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Ministry of Water Resource Warns of Laos’ Hydropower Dam Collapse
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology warned Tuesday that an under-construction hydropower dam collapsed in Sanamxay district of Laos’ southeastern Attapeu Province, 70 kilometers from Cambodian border.
— Fresh News

Newcomer Cambodia Airways starts Macau flight service
Cambodia Airways, a recently established local airline, launch last week its first international route, connecting major cities in the Kingdom to the Chinese special administrative region of Macau.
— Khmer Times

China donates electronic, IT equipment to Cambodia’s diplomacy institute
China on Tuesday donated electronic and information technology (IT) equipment worth 75,500 U.S. dollars to the newly-established National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (NIDIR) of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
— Xinhua

Mammoth commercial complex to be raised at capital’s port
In an ambitious deal that could change the face of the city, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP) has leased nine hectares of land along the Tonle Sap River for the next 50 years to Chean Chhoeng Thai Group, a subsidiary of Yuetai Group, a major Chinese real estate developer.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia Threatens Legal Action Against Non-Voters
The Interior Minister said Cambodians who were found to have taken part in the campaign would be fined up to 20 million riels (about $5,000).
— VOA Cambodia

Cambodia’s growth metrics need nuance to uplift citizens
Cambodia’s fast growth rate over the past few decades has contributed to a rise in income levels and a drastic reduction in poverty in the country.
— East Asia Forum

Food safety programme gets 4-year extension
A food safety programme implemented by the Mekong Institute in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) has been extended until 2022.
— Khmer Times

CPP Requests NEC to Take Legal Action Against Opposition Party’s Lawyer
The Cambodian People’s Party requested the National Election Committee (NEC) to take legal action against a former opposition party’s lawyer who appealed to the public to not go to vote.
— Fresh News

Australian love-scam victim wins drug smuggling conviction appeal in Cambodia
An Australian woman serving a 23-year prison sentence in Cambodia has achieved a stunning legal victory after her 2014 drug smuggling.
— Stuff/ Sydney Morning Herald

For Cambodian Factory Worker, Voting And Politics Are Secondary to Daily Struggles
Khen Srey Touch, 27, is one of some 700,000 workers propping up Cambodia’s vital garment and footwear industry, and works about 10 hours a day, six days a week, sewing different parts of shoes together. VOA Khmer’s Chap Chetra narrates this report by Reuters.
— VOA Cambodia (video)

RDB, World Bank discuss $100-million agricultural diversification plan
The Rural Development Bank (RDB) yesterday said it discussed with the World Bank the implementation of a $100-million, country-wide agricultural diversification programme designed to help boost the production capacity of local farmers.
— Khmer Times

Local firms set to join Chinese expo
Cambodian entrepreneurs and small business owners are set to join the Asean-China Expo in September, with more than 140 booths booked for the event in Nanning city, a Ministry of Commerce official said yesterday.
— Khmer Times

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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.