Cambodia Morning News For October 22

EuroCham Cambodia to EU: State your objectives
The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham) has again called on the European Commission to immediately “state its objectives” after the group threatened to strip Cambodia’s access to the Everything But Arms (EBA) trade pact.
— AEC News Today

Cambodia Strengthens Tourism Cooperation With Thailand, Vietnam
Cambodia will further strengthen its tourism sector cooperation with Thailand and Vietnam as the country seeks to attract ten million international tourists in 2025 and up to 15 million in 2030. These numbers should be reached from 5.6 million international tourists last year, which translated in earnings of $3.6 billion or 12 per cent of the country’s GDP.
— Investvine

Russia recategorizes Cambodian debt
Russia has agreed to recategorize the $1.5 billion Cambodian debt as an investment and pledged to provide aid to Cambodia next year.
— Khmer Times

Report: Cambodia saw 140 per cent rise in tech startup investment in 2018
By Q2 2018, Cambodia had seen at least 12 tech startup funding announcements, which was exactly a 140 per cent increase from at least five in the previous year, according to a new report on the kingdom’s tech ecosystem by Mekong Strategic Partners and Raintree Development.
— E27

Protesters Urge EU to Pressure Cambodia on Democracy as PM Hun Sen Attends Brussels Talks
Some 1,000 protesters descended on Brussels Friday demanding that the European Union push for a return of democracy to Cambodia, as Prime Minister Hun Sen gathered with heads of state and business leaders from Asia and Europe in the wake of his controversial election victory.
— Radio Free Asia

Untaxed goods from Vietnam seized
Kandal provincial anti-economic crime police seized untaxed goods being smuggled into the country from Vietnam on Friday in Kandal Stung district.
— Khmer Times

China brings casino boom to Cambodian town – but doom to local businesses?
It used to be a sleepy town in south-western Cambodia, popular with backpackers for its beautiful beaches. But in the past two years, Sihanoukville has seen nearly three dozen Chinese-run casinos spring up, with another 70 under construction – all in an area that is a tenth of the size of Singapore.
— Channel News Asia

Interior ministry official charged over land grab
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday charged a government official who allegedly tried to grab state land by fraudulently using Interior Minister Sar Kheng’s wife’s name to threaten a commune chief in Preah Sihanouk province.
— Khmer Times

Election Commission chairman’s new mission
Ittiporn Boonpracong has assumed the chairmanship of the Election Commission (EC), an agency which will play an important role in organising a general election expected in late February.
— Bangkok Post

Government asks donors for more demining aid
Demining officials this week appealed to international donors to continuing funding demining efforts in the Kingdom to reach the government’s 2025 mine-free goal.
— Khmer Times

Cambodian online platform Meal Temple Group raises six-digit dollar sum
Cambodia’s operator of online platforms Meal Temple Group has raised a six-digit dollar sum from private Australian and European investors, the company announced.
— Deal Street Asia

Battambang’s stinky market attraction
Battambang province is better known as the last bastion of colonial architecture in Cambodia, but outside of the provincial centre a booming market is known for one thing: Prahok.
— Khmer Times

EU trade action on Cambodia looms after unsuccessful talks
Cambodia is moving closer to losing its preferential trade terms with the European Union after the bloc’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday that talks with Cambodian leader Hun Sen failed to assuage the EU’s human rights concerns.
— Politico.eu

InCham Cambodia organizes Skills Exchange program
InCham Cambodia and the ICSI (International Chamber for Service Industry) organized an event on education development skills, tourism and cultural exchange explorations with the participation of Indian ambassador to Cambodia and the Ministry of Education. The event was held at the National University of Management.
— Khmer Times

Fifteen Months’ Imprisonment and “15 Minutes of Fame”
Australian filmmaker James Ricketson is back in Australia enjoying what he calls “15 minutes of fame” after his grueling 15 month stretch in Phnom Penh’s notorious Prey Sar prison. In the first of a four-part interview with The Cambodia Daily, he describes his first night behind bars and how his time in prison has re-shaped his view of Cambodia.
— Cambodia Daily

Minister allays fears over Preah Sihanouk safety
Interior Minister Sar Kheng yesterday outlined the role to be played by a taskforce created last month to battle a spike in crime in Preah Sihanouk province in a bid to allay people’s fears and restore Sihanoukville’s reputation.
— Khmer Times

PM Hun Sen to Further Lead Cambodia as Long as Sam Rainsy Exists (Video inside)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stated Sunday that he will continue to lead Cambodia with peace and development, as long as the ill-intended groups still exist, referring specifically to opposition leader Sam Rainsy.
— Fresh News (video)

Ministry defends sand dredging in Kampong Cham
The Mines and Energy Ministry yesterday held a public forum with residents living in Kampong Cham province’s Kang Meas and Srey Santhor districts in order to address their concerns over riverbank collapses.
— Khmer Times

MH370 latest: ‘Crash site’ surrounded by ‘armed illegal loggers’ – shock claim
A POTENTIAL crash site for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 is loitered with illegal loggers armed with knives, endangering the lives of crash investigators who plan to explore the region.
— Sunday Express

Conflict lingers on Paris Accords
Ruling Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Sok Eysan said on Wednesday that the Accords were being “enforced perfectly” despite “facing many difficulties”.
— The Nation

Cambodia, Thailand to cooperate in tourism
Cambodia and Thailand will further strengthen tourism sector cooperation to promote flows between the two countries and third-country tourist crossings.
— The Nation

Bad booze kills 3, hospitalizes 41
A number of villagers apparently consumed tainted rice wine at Damray village, Boeng Cha commune, in Sambo district of Kratie province on Oct. 18.
— Khmer Times

Feature photo VOA Khmer

This week’s Cambodia morning news feature photo acknowledges United Nations Day, October 24.

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.