Cambodia Morning News For October 5

Cambodia H1 garment exports up 16.1 pct, economy to grow 7 pct – World Bank
Cambodia’s garment exports grew 16.1 percent in the first half of 2018 from the same period last year, the World Bank said on Thursday, boosted by a trade agreement that allows Cambodia to export travel goods to the United States duty free.
— Reuters

LPG Consumption Growth of 23% in Cambodia
According to Cambodia’s government figure, LPG consumption grew at rapid rate of 23% in 2017.
Cambodia is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. With an average growth of more than 7%, it is slowly transforming itself from being one of the least developed countries to one of the most rapid and fast growing economies in the region.
— Oil Voice

Advocacy Group Raises Questions About Cambodia’s Gold Imports
Cambodia imported about $15 billion worth of gold during five years from Singapore, according to government statistics compiled by nongovernmental organization Mother Nature Cambodia — a figure so large, corruption monitor groups say it raises alarms about potential financial crimes, particularly smuggling.
— VOA Cambodia

First shipment of Kingdom bananas to China underway
Longmate Agriculture Co Ltd, a joint venture between local, Chinese and Hong Kong investors, is set to send some 30,000 tonnes of its maiden banana export to China in January.
— Phnom Penh Post

New tax incentives to increase SME sector competitiveness
A new sub-decree issued this week creates a slew of tax incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kingdom, and confirms that the sector is now one of the government’s main priorities.
— Khmer Times

Real estate growth to slow in next five years, IMF predicts
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that growth in the Kingdom’s real estate sector will slow in the next five years.
And while insiders say the sector is saturated, government officials seem to disagree with the IMF’s forecast.
— Phnom Penh Post

EU a key economic partner in Cambodia: Ambassador
The European Union is a key economic partner in Cambodia, with preferential access to European markets a key element of the Kingdom’s robust growth in recent years, said European Union Ambassador George Edgar.
— Khmer Times

Suncity to handle Cambodia casino’s ‘pre-opening’ operations
Sun City Group Holdings Limited, through its subsidiary SGMC (Sihanoukville), has outlined the assistance it will provide in the building of Golden Sun Sky Entertainment Co., Ltd.’s integrated resort (IR) in Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia.
— Calvin Ayre

Cellcard ready to upgrade infrastructure to 5G
Cellcard one of the leading mobile operator in the Kingdom, yesterday said it is ready to upgrade its mobile infrastructure to 5G, adding that it is targeting a commercial launch of the services in the second quarter of 2019.
— Khmer Times

Kingdom’s public debt-to-GDP ratio remains low risk, says IMF
Cambodia’s public debt-to-GDP ratio remains low risk this year. This means the Kingdom is able to afford more debt to maintain economic growth while assuring good returns on its investments, says Jarkko Turunen, a senior economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
— Phnom Penh Post

Three Vietnamese caught in Cambodia with nearly half a kilo of meth
Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court of Cambodia on Tuesday charged three Vietnamese nationals with possessing and trafficking nearly half a kilogram of methamphetamine in the province.
— Vietnam Insider

Waste production continues to rise
Phnom Penh produces about 3,000 tonnes per day, followed by Sihanoukville with 600 tonnes and Siem Reap city with 350.
— Khmer Times

Four receive jail terms over Preah Sihanouk land dispute
Preah Sihanouk provincial court yesterday sentenced four representatives of the O’ksach community in Otres commune, Stung Hav district, Preah Sihanouk province to a year in jail and a five million riel fine.
— Phnom Penh Post

Khmer Rouge S-21 victims remembered
A two-day blessing ceremony dedicated to the victims of Pol Pot’s regime at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum began yesterday with the attendance of monks and government officials.
— Khmer Times

Despite Growth, Economic Woes Loom in Cambodia
While Cambodia has enjoyed strong growth and an influx of foreign investment in recent years, a toxic combination of rising wages and low-skilled labor presents a looming threat to the country’s two-dimensional economy.
— VOA Cambodia

Defence Ministry to ‘add new blood’ to Kingdom’s military
The Ministry of National Defence is set to add new blood into the Kingdom’s armed forces, with its military academy starting a new round of enrollment and recruitment to fill nearly 700 vacancies.
— Phnom Penh Post

Endangered gaur gives birth
The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre has announced the arrival on Monday of a male gaur calf to a female that was brought from the Kingdom’s northeastern region seven years ago as part of a pioneering breeding programme.
— Phnom Penh Post

Boosting Cambodia’s STEM curriculum
Cambodia’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) discipline has continuously improved through the years. But it still has a long way to go in terms of mastery and application in the field.
— Khmer Times

Feature photo Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

This week’s Cambodia morning news feature photo acknowledges World Teachers’ Day, October 5.

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.