The Cambodian government has outlined three priority sectors for implementing public-private partnership (PPP) projects over the next decade. The sectors, which face high costs and challenges, are transportation and logistics, energy, and public services. According to a government directive circulated over the December 21-23 weekend, the 2025 to 2035 priority areas include infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports; the energy sector; and public services, such as clean water supply and waste management. However, other sectors may be added to the list if deemed necessary. The “Comprehensive Master Plan on Cambodia Intermodal Transport and Logistics System 2023-2033” (CITLS) identifies 174…
Author: Niem Chheng
A series of free weekend package tours of Cambodia’s northeastern provinces – funded by Prime Minister Hun Manet – has come to an end, with 2,400 people enjoying the opportunity to explore the Kingdom’s border regions. The tours were originally announced in response to public concerns about a potential loss of territory tied to Cambodia’s participation in the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) agreement. The government went to some lengths to dismiss the allegations, which were widely circulated in July, largely by overseas-based opposition groups, and eventually formally removed the Kingdom from the agreement, with Senate president Hun Sen explaining…
Cambodia will officially graduate from the “least developed country” (LDC) category on December 19, 2029. The graduation was confirmed in the UN General Assembly’s resolution A/79/L.49, adopted on December 19, 2024. The resolution also applied to Senegal. “The two countries will graduate from the LDC category on 19 December 2029 after being granted, on an exceptional basis, an extended preparatory period of five years – the standard period is of three years – to enable them to effectively prepare for graduation and ensure a smooth transition out of the category,” said a UN press release. The Kingdom received LDC status…
Cambodia has expressed its strong support for Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy, with Senate president Hun Sen announcing plans to grant Japanese vessels the first visitation rights at Ream Naval Base once construction is completed. The announcement was made during a December 20 meeting between Hun Sen and Akiba Takeo, Japan’s National Security Advisor and secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, at the Senate. Akiba explained that Japan’s National Security Strategy is aligned with regional developments and emphasises constructive dialogue with partner countries and major powers, including China. “Without dialogue and cooperation, especially with China, stability, resilience and…
The National Committee for Sentence Reductions and Pardons has completed reviews of applications for clemency by inmates of the Kingdom’s prison system, with two of the applicants – both convicted of incest against their own children – being added to the official “blacklist”, meaning they are permanently ineligible for sentence reductions or clemency. They will join 66 of their fellow inmates on the list, most of them convicted of serious crimes such as murder, sexual offenses and abuse within families. Minister of Justice Keut Rith, who also leads the committee, chaired the December 19 session. The attendees reviewed applications for…
The Ministry of Environment has identified two large factories which it believes are discharging untreated wastewater into nearby natural waterways. The ministry shared the names and locations of the two facilities, one in Kandal province and one in Preah Sihanouk, in a December 19 announcement. The unlikely named Jin Lu Yaun Energy Environment Protection Co., Ltd factory, in Kandal province’s Kandal Stueng district, was determined to have been the source of pollution in the Krang Trea canal, which had then spread to Stung Prek Tnaot canal in Kampong Speu province. The discovery followed complaints from local residents in Kandal Stueng…
The Cambodian government is set to increase its borrowing capacity to two billion SDR (equivalent to $2.592 billion) in 2025, up from 1.7 billion SDR ($2.204 billion) in 2024, according to the recently approved national Budget Law (BL). However, questions remain over the absence of loans from China during the first three quarters of 2024, fuelling speculation about the reasons behind this development. Article 6 of the 2025 BL, published on December 18, allows the government to borrow up to $2 billion SDR in concessional loans with favourable interest rates. The Minister of Economy and Finance is authorised to sign…
Ahead of the December 21 Cambodia Editors Forum, Prime Minister Hun Manet has released a strong statement about the need for responsible journalism. “Cambodia’s government requires a strong, responsible and honest media industry, along with journalists who dare to speak the truth and provide constructive criticism. This is essential for reflecting the realities of society and avoiding the dissemination of one-sided or fake news,” he said. The theme for this year’s forum will be “Journalistic Professionalism and Expression”. In his three-page statement, Manet praised the media outlets that have contributed to spreading accurate information about Cambodia. He cited examples such…
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina has inaugurated a new rubber park which features Cambodia’s oldest rubber trees, some of them more than 100 years old. The more than 400 trees of the park were planted during the French colonial period. Speaking at the December 17 event, the minister described the rubber trees as heritage treasures and a representation of the evolution of Cambodia’s industrial rubber plantation sector. The “Techo Thipadei Rubber Heritage Park” is located in Thmor Pich commune of Tboung Khmum province and district, and is home to 448 century-old rubber trees. These trees were initially…
As the second anniversary of the resettlement of many of the former inhabitants of the Apsara Angkor Archaeological Park passed, UN human rights specialists and Cambodia’s Apsara National Authority (ANA) continue to trade accusations and responses. A December 13 statement by five UN officials suggested that some of the “forced relocations” may have violated international human rights standards. A December 16 counter-release by the ANA refuted the claims, stating that the ANA respects human rights, as per the Constitution of Cambodia. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) statement, released by five senior officials – Balakrishnan Rajagopal,…