Cambodia Morning News For December 6

Opposition Officials in Cambodia’s Kep Province Increasingly Pressured to Defect to Ruling Party
Opposition commune councilors in southern Cambodia’s Kep province are facing increasing pressure from local authorities to defect to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), they said Tuesday, including through 24-hour surveillance and restrictions on their freedom of movement.
— Radio Free Asia

The Eternal Win-Wins of Hun Sen’s Power in Cambodia
There is some remarkable continuity in the rhetoric that the ruling party has adopted to sustain its legitimacy.
— The Diplomat

NBC warns against fraudulent digital coin schemes
A representative from the central bank warned yesterday of increased fraudulent activities linked to local firms promoting cryptocurrencies, claiming that because Cambodia lacks regulations surrounding their use, they remain a risky investment tool.
— The Phnom Penh Post

U.S. Congressman Seeks to Rally Support for Cambodia Democratic Reform
On Thursday, Washington announced it was cutting $1.8 million in aid to the country’s national election body, a move Hun Sen claimed was intended to kill off Cambodian democracy.
— VOA

New national security body stacked with Hun Sen family, ‘loyalists’
At least three relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen will sit on a national security “working group” created quietly by the premier in September, with one member yesterday comparing the body to the White House’s National Security Council.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Japanese firm boosts, diversifies Cambodia investments
Minebea Cambodia, a subsidiary of Minebea Mitsumi and one of the country’s largest manufacturers of electronics, is expanding its Cambodian portfolio with a US$24.63 million investment in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries, among other sectors.
— Bangkok Post

National Assembly to Announce Members of National Assembly and National Election Committee
Secretary General of the National Assembly will announce 16 new members for the National Assembly and three new members for the National Election Committee (NEC) on December 16, 2017.
— Fresh News

More than 1,700 ethnic Vietnamese families’ docs taken
The process of revoking documents from ethnic Vietnamese people, many of whom have been living in Cambodia for generations, is halfway complete in Kampong Chhnang province, according to the provincial director of immigration.
— The Phnom Penh Post

PM Hun Sen: Cambodia is not a Target for Nuclear Attacks
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday morning said that North Korea’s nuclear explosions were posing threats and fears to the world after successfully test-fired intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.
— Fresh News

World Bank says more needed to end poverty in Kingdom
Cambodia may have reduced its levels of extreme poverty to the single-digits, but its middle class is nearly nonexistent and approximately half of its population remains highly susceptible to economic shocks, according to a World Bank report released yesterday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia’s Friend in Need
It has become an article of faith that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has been able to belittle western donors, challenge the US to suspend aid and claim that doing so would only damage those who serve American interests because of the deep and growing involvement of China in Cambodia’s economy.
— Asia Sentinel

For Some Cambodian Refugees, Deportations And A Return To A Country They Fled
In two weeks, 39-year-old Rottanak Kong will board a plane to Cambodia. He’ll be accompanied by dozens of other Cambodians with deportation orders.
— NPR

Feature photo Chris Graham/AusAID
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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.