Cambodia Morning News For July 2

Cambodia earns Guinness Record for longest woven scarf
Cambodia won a place in the Guinness book of World Records Sunday for a 1,100-metre (3,600-foot) long version of the country’s popular krama scarf.
— Bangkok Post

Cambodian PM’s son gets military roles amid human rights concerns
Move seen by rights groups as a bid to undermine democracy and to entrench the PM’s power before this month’s polls.
— Aljazeera

To Get a Passport, Cambodians Asked to Pass Cash
The hassles for Cambodians seeking travel documents start over a kilometer away from the central passport office.
— VOA

Retail price of gasoline drops
Starting yesterday, the price of regular gasoline in the Kingdom is 3,950 riel ($0.97) per litre, amounting to a reduction of 200 riel per litre following a series of tax cuts announced last month by Prime Minister Hun Sen as well as price reductions implemented by local gas stations.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia Earns $60M from Angkor Archaeological Park
Within the first six months of 2018, Cambodia has earned $60 million from Angkor Archaeological Park, an increase of 17.8%, and welcomed over one million foreign tourists, an increase of 10% compared to the same period in 2017, according to the May’s report of the Angkor Enterprise.
— Fresh News

City Hall breaks ground on new $22M overpass
Prime Minister Hun Sen joined City Hall officials on Thursday to break ground on what is slated to become a $22 million overpass near the capital’s Choam Chao roundabout.
— The Phnom Penh Post

CDC Grants Licenses to 13 New Factories in June 2018
In June 2018 alone, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) granted licenses for companies to build 13 new factories in Cambodia, worth of approximately $2 billion in total, creating 18,992 jobs, according to the CDC’s report on Sunday.
— Fresh News

Government sends delegation to EU over preferential trade scheme
Officials from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have embarked on a two-week mission to the European Union (EU) seeking to have the Kingdom’s tax-free trading preferences with the economic bloc extended, according to a press release on Thursday.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Japan Defends Plan to Support Cambodia’s General Election in The Face of Criticism
Japan’s government on Friday defended its plan to support Cambodia’s general election with only one month to go before the ballot, despite criticism that it cannot be either free or fair without the participation of the main opposition party.
— Radio Free Asia

RCAF Commander in Chief Urges Human Rights Watch to Learn Cambodian Constitution
Addressing to 896 teachers and health officials at Sihanoukville, General Pol Saroeun, Commander in Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) representing Sihanoukville constituency, urged Human Rights Watch (HRW), who accused the 12 Cambodian Armed Force leaders of violating human rights by its report entitled “Cambodia: Hun Sen’s Abusive Generals” dated 28 June, to study the constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
— Fresh News

Survivor of Cambodia’s “Killing Fields” will share story at festival
Ellensburg author Bun Yom is sharing his story today at America’s Freedom Festival Award Gala in Provo, Utah.
— Daily Record News

Police Cracks Down Nearly 4,000 Drug Cases within Six Months
Counting from the first of January until the end of June 2018, anti-drug police have cracked down 3,989 drug offenses; arrested 7,917 people; and confiscated more than 244 kilograms of drugs, according to the anti-drug campaign’s report released on Sunday.
— Fresh News

Hun Sen and his personality cult
A fiercely loyal armed force is essential to cementing a dictatorship, and the sheer military might of Cambodia’s Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who has ruled the country with an iron fist for 33 years, should come as a surprise to no one.
— Lowy Institute

International licenses to be inspected
The National Police on Friday ordered its provincial counterparts to inspect all international driver’s licenses and strengthen the process to obtain a Cambodian license in a bid to curb the rate of traffic-related accidents involving foreign drivers.
— Khmer Times

Feature photo John Le Fevre

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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.