Author: Niem Chheng
More than one hundred families who were resettled during the construction of the Laos-China Railway project have expressed their happiness at the new homes provided to them. They showed off their new homes to journalists who are taking part in a week-long media tour, organised by the Chinese Mission to ASEAN and China Daily. The 103 families, made up of 482 individuals, were relocated in 2021 to pave the way for the construction of part of the 1,035km railway line from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunan province. Speaking to reporters, Somphong Somphonpha chief…
A Chinese-ASEAN delegation of 25 journalists is embarking on a tour that aims to explore the potential of the Laos-China Railway link. The railway line connects the ASEAN nations with China, by turning land-locked Laos into a land transport hub. The week-long media tour is being organised by the Chinese Mission to ASEAN and China Daily, and intends to demonstrate how the railway, which began operations in December 2021, benefits the flow of people, goods and capital, boosting industrial development along the route, along with people’s livelihoods. While on the tour, which set off from Vientiane, the capital of Laos,…
Oxfam has released a research report urging an overhaul of standards for garment subcontractors, to ensure decent employment and social safeguards for women workers. The organisation’s research finds that women in these subcontracted companies have not yet received appropriate protections. The report, released on June 21, revealed that garment subcontractors account for between 15 and 30 per cent of the total workforce in the apparel industry, which comprises 1 million workers. However, it acknowledged the difficulty in determining the exact number of subcontractors, as some factories are not registered with the Ministry of Commerce or authorised by the Ministry of…
The Ministry of Interior’s Anti Cybercrime Department has issued a warning to the public about the dangers of romantic scams, which often involve individuals unwittingly using their personal bank accounts to facilitate the transfer of money obtained through online fraud. The department recently arrested three Cambodian suspects in two separate cases, including a woman, for their involvement in such schemes. The suspects have been sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court for further legal proceedings. In one of the cases, a female suspect, identified only as S.K.L., received money generated from an online scam carried out by a criminal group through…
The leaders of some of the Kingdom’s unions have threatened to expand minor protests into large-scale demonstrations in protest over a June 4 report by the NGO Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), which alleged restrictions on freedom of association in garment, footwear and travel accessories factories across Cambodia. One union described such allegations as hurting the sector. They requested that CENTRAL revise its report, warning that if this is not done they will hold large rallies and may even ask the Ministry of Interior to shut down the NGOs office. The June 4 report, made in…
A group of 30 students from universities across Phnom Penh have taken their first steps into the future of technology and innovation in business, as the first Techpreneur Bootcamp was launched in Phnom Penh today. After being selected from a field of over 600 applicants, for the next six months, the handpicked candidates will undergo rigorous, accelerated learning to master computer programming and full-stack development skills. Following hard-skill development, they will spend another three months on entrepreneurship training, challenging them to engineer impactful solutions to potential employers. The programme offers students the opportunity to apply their learning into practice with…
Cambodia and Thailand have the fewest infrastructure projects on the Mekong or its tributaries among the four member countries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC). According to the commission, there are a total of 61 projects on the tributaries and the main body of one of the world’s longest rivers. The Mekong has a total length of 4,350km, originating from the Tibetan plateau and flowing through six countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Within MRC member countries – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam – the river spans 3,663km. It flows 1,982km through Laos, 968km in Thailand, 489km in…
The commander of the Cambodian army and his Russian counterpart announced their intention to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will boost cooperative ties between the armies of the two countries, according to a June 17 press release from the Royal Cambodian Army. The release was issued as General Mao Sophan, commander of the Cambodian Army and deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), prepared to embark on a three-day visit to Russia from June 18-20, where he is meeting with his Russian counterpart Oleg Salyukov. “The meeting is aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation between the…
The Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan and the joint statement which will be issued at the upcoming November mine-action summit in Siem Reap will serve as a blueprint for future efforts to pave the way for an ambitious and achievable future, said Ly Thuch, president of the Ottawa Convention 2024, as he addressed a June 18 meeting of the convention members in Geneva, Switzerland. Thuch, who also serves as first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA), is in Switzerland until June 20 for a mid-term meeting to finalise preparations for the 5th Review Meeting of the Ottawa Convention, also…