Cambodia Morning News For March 16

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.

Sugar slowly moves to market
Cambodia’s five major sugar producers exported just 4 percent of the country’s planned refined sugar capacity to the international market last year, equalling only 80,000 tonnes, a sign that government officials said means the sector still has ample room for growth as sugar companies push for higher yields.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Microfinance Institutions to Request Assistance From Central Bank
Reacting to the central bank’s announcement of a hard cap on interest rates, the chairman of an industry group representing 84 microfinance institutions on Wednesday said the association would request tax exemptions or cheap loans from the bank to make the arrangement viable.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Cambodia’s Deputy PM Sok An dies aged 66, government spokesman says
Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, a close ally of Prime Minister Hun Sen for decades, has died at the age of 66, a government spokesman said.
— ABC News

Cambodian opposition leader campaigns after predecessor quits to save party
New Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha began a pre-election tour to rally support on Tuesday after his veteran predecessor resigned in fear that his party could be dissolved by the state.
— Reuters

Cambodia PM’s ally Sok An dies aged 66
Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, a close ally of Prime Minister Hun Sen for decades, died on Wednesday at the age of 66, a government spokesman said.
— Reuters

Cambodia’s teachers cannot afford to be professional
Few teachers in the public system anywhere in the world will tell you that high salaries are one of the perks of the job. Educators in Cambodia, however, face an uphill battle just to get started in the profession.
— Nikkei Asian Review

First submarine cable launched
Telcotech, a subsidiary of local internet provider Ezecom, officially launched Cambodia’s first undersea fibre-optic communications cable yesterday after nearly two years of construction, promising faster, cheaper and more secure internet connectivity.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Delayed Undersea Broadband Cable Enters Testing Phase
A long-awaited $100 million undersea broadband cable connecting Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand officially started testing on Wednesday, moving closer to operation following numerous construction delays.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Hollow growth leaves Cambodians wanting more
On the morning of Feb. 14, about 100 villagers had gathered on a street near the official residence of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
— Nikkei Asian Review

How the residents of Cambodia’s ‘HIV village’ are coping more than two years on
In 2014, an unlicensed medic infected almost 300 people with HIV in Roka village, and the residents are still picking up the pieces.
— Southeast Asia Globe

Cambodia, Catholicism, and Cauliflower
Over a narrow cement bridge spanning ponds of purple-flowering lilies lies the ethnically Vietnamese village of Koh Pos Die Edth.
— The Diplomat

Rising Intimidation in Cambodian Politics Calls for Urgent Solidarity
Last month, protesters gathered outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to demonstrate against the trial of Tep Vanny, one of Cambodia’s most well-known land-rights activists, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison for aggravated intentional violence in relation to a 2013 protest outside Hun Sen’s residence in Phnom Penh.
— The Diplomat

The Trump Excuse: Experts Question Justification for Threats Against Media
Following Trump’s attacks on the media, the Cambodian government has said it will “take action” against media it sees as “threatening the country”.
— VOA

ASIA’S FUTURE CITIES: ‘Give Phnom Penh a new face’ – Young Cambodian dreams of architectural revolution
Not many people can remember when they first heard the word “architecture”. But for Hun Chansan, the memory is vivid.
— Channel News Asia

Capital controls hold back Chinese developer
The head of Chinese real estate developer Guangzhou R&F Properties, which has announced plans to invest $3 billion into a new luxury hotel in the Kingdom, has asked Chinese authorities to fast track its approval process for moving cash out of the mainland, according to a report yesterday in the South China Morning Post.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian workers see Thai salaries rise
ambodian workers in Thailand are benefiting from a small bump in the country’s minimum wage, which went into effect at the start of this year in some Thai provinces, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Labour announced on Monday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Sar Kheng Orders Removal of Local Opposition Councilors
Hundreds of local-level opposition leaders are set to lose their salaries after Interior Minister Sar Kheng ordered the removal of all current commune and district councilors competing in the upcoming election for a different political party than the one they were elected under.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Opposition Learning to Live With Fear of Death
Early this month, the opposition CNRP registered 11,572 candidates for June’s commune elections—one for every seat—in what’s likely to prove a bellwether for next year’s all-important national election.
— The Cambodia Daily (paywall)

Feature photo John Le Fevre

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