Cambodia Morning News For March 27

Hun Sen: Election will not be postponed
Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that the democratic process in Cambodia will continue unabated, noting that the national election will not be postponed or cancelled as it has been in other countries.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia’s democracy, economy at risk: report
Cambodia has become more autocratic and its government’s claim of stable economic development rests on uncertain basis, according to a comprehensive new report.
— The Phnom Penh Post

NBC promotes riel liquidity
Commercial banks and microfinance institutions have acquired more than 209 billion riel in riel liquidity, worth $52.4 million, from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) since the central bank began its liquidity-providing collateralised operation (LPCO) in October 2016.
— Khmer Times

Lack of funding for traffic issues puts government’s commitment to road safety in question
Cambodia is at risk of failing to reach its road safety goals unless it steps up its funding, experts and NGO representatives say, undermining efforts in recent years to regulate the country’s chaotic traffic.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia haunted by mistakes of interventions past
In his opening remarks at a recent conference on Cambodia at the Australian National University, former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans mentioned two significant events.
— New Mandala

Business Insider: Pepper group bracing for climate change
Kampot pepper has earned international acclaim for its strong flavour profile, and has enjoyed a surge in popularity and sales in recent years.
— The Phnom Penh Post

HLH selling hotel in Cambodian mixed-use project for $15.7m
Property firm HLH Group is selling its 98-room hotel in its D’Seaview project in Cambodia for $15.7 million.
— The Straits Times

Public debt ‘stays within safe limits’
In the last 24 years, Cambodia has made debt service payments of about $1.14 billion to development partners, while last year alone it repaid about $210 million, according to the Cambodia Public Debt Statistical Bulletin of the Ministry of Economy and Finance released last week.
— Khmer Times

Grab tests tuk-tuk market in capital
Grab has officially launched its motorbike taxi service and started beta testing a tuk-tuk and rickshaw service in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, according to a press release issued by the company on Friday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

PM Hun Sen: Historians Shall Recognize Cambodia’s Win-Win Policy, Not Just Paris Peace Accord (Video inside)
Prime Minister Hun Sen said that historians shall recognize the efforts of Cambodia in ending the civil war, not just the Paris Peace Agreement.
— Fresh News (video)

Interview: ‘Everything is Fake, Including Democracy, Rule of Law, And Development’
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday ruled out canceling general elections slated for July, despite questions about the legitimacy of the vote in the wake of his government’s dissolution of the country’s only significant opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP).
— Radio Free Asia

Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Patrols Highlight Defense Ties
The 50th iteration of the interaction offered a glimpse into an aspect of the bilateral relationship.
— The Diplomat (paywall)

Cambodian duo’s Eco-Plastic takes 2nd in startup challenge
A PAIR OF FEMALE Cambodian entrepreneurs placed second in a regional business competition on Saturday, beating out university teams from six countries with their startup idea – called Eco-Plastic – that could utilise Cambodia’s plastic waste to pave cheaper, more durable roads.
— The Nation

Timber trader ‘Grandma May’ back in business
Notorious Vietnamese timber trader Nguyen Thimay, more commonly known as “Grandma May”, is again free and, according to locals and officials in Oddar Meanchey, back in business – despite having been busted with a huge stockpile of rosewood in her home last year.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Taiwan, Cambodia named friendliest countries in Asia for expats
IT’S never easy to uproot and leave home to start over in a foreign place, especially if you’re expected to work in a new environment, make new friends, adjust to culture shock or pick up a new language.
— Asian Correspondent

Abortions, facilities down in ’17
The number of reported abortions in Cambodia dipped by nearly 900 in 2017 compared to the year before, as did the number of safe providers, according to an annual report released by the Ministry of Health on Monday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Morocco Requests Support from Cambodia for the 39th AIPA
Moroccan Ambassador to Cambodia Abdelilah El Housni requested Cambodia to support Morocco to be the delegation in the 39th ASEAN Inter-Preliminary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly in Singapore.
— Fresh News

Feature photo Michael Coghlan

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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.